I can’t say Tom Hanks is the first person I’d think of to play a naval captain kidnapped by Somali pirates, but Deadline reports that Sony Pictures has cast Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips in an adaptation of his book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. Billy Ray (State of Play) had adapted the best-selling tome, which was published last year.
In April 2009, Phillips’ ship, the Maersk Alabama, was taken over by Somalian pirates, and the captain heroically offered himself as a hostage, so the pirates wouldn’t harm his crew. After three days being held hostage, Navy SEALS rescued the captain after taking out his captors via sniper fire.
Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Kevin Spacey, and Dana Brunetti, all of whom were involved with The Social Network, will produce the drama.
There’s no info on when the film might shoot.