The veteran actor/director is tackling a movie based on the story of Captain Chelsey 'Sully' Sullenberger, who became an overnight sensation after successfully putting his aircraft down on the water when it was crippled by a bird strike. All 155 passengers and crew survived the disaster.

It has now been reported that Eastwood is in final talks with Hanks to bring him onboard to play the pilot in Sully, which is based on Sullenberger's bestselling memoir Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters.

Hanks previously played another real life American hero, Richard Phillips, a sea captain who was taken hostage by Somali pirates, in Oscar-nominated 2013 thriller Captain Phillips.