On the fortieth anniversary of Philippe Petit’s famous high-wire walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center, TriStar Pictures has released some shots of the new film they’ve been making about the event. The Walk, to star Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit and directed by the veteran Robert Zemeckis, is due to open in cinemas on October 2nd next year.

The Walk Joseph Gordon LevittJoseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit in 'The Wire'

The stunt has already been the subject of an award-winning documentary entitled Man On Wire, which spliced real life footage of the walk combined with actors re-enacting parts of the young Petit’s life. On 7th August 1974, Petit performed the incredibly dangerous walk, dubbed the “artistic crime of the century”, having spent months planning it covertly with his girlfriend and a small group of relatives.

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They hid until nightfall at the top of the South Tower, before connecting a 450-pound steel cable to the North Tower and walking across, a journey that took 45 minutes to complete. The new film will apparently highlight the planning aspects in an Ocean’s Eleven style. We know that Zemeckis is good at drawing out the story of one man amongst the drama of events The Walk will also star Charlotte Le Bon, Ben Kingsley, Ben Schwartz, Steve Valentine and James Badge Dale.

The WalkThe cast of 'The Walk'

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s career continues to take an upward trajectory. In the recent past he’s starred in The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and (500) Days Of Summer, as well as directing and starring in Don Jon in 2013. He’s also set to star in the upcoming Sin City sequel A Dame To Kill For.