Sunday, July 12, 2009

U.S. captain, Somali pirates set to go Hollywood

The harrowing experience of the American ship captain who was captured last month by Somali pirates is set to be turned into a Hollywood movie, Columbia Pictures said on Thursday.

Phillips was held for five days in a lifeboat on the Indian Ocean, and was rescued when U.S. Navy snipers shot dead three of the pirates.

The studio said it had acquired the life story rights of Richard Phillips, 53, captain of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, who surrendered himself to pirates in exchange for the lives of his crew off the coast of Somalia.

Casting has not been announced, but producers will be looking for actors to play not only Phillips but possibly U.S. President Barack Obama, who authorized the killing of the pirates if the captains life was in danger.

Columbia Pictures said the feature film would be co-produced by actor Kevin Spacey and others including Scott Rudin of Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men.”

The studio said it has also optioned the film rights to Phillips forthcoming memoirs.

“We were drawn to this remarkable story of heroism and courage as events were unfolding off the coast of Africa,” Doug Belgard, co-president of Columbia Pictures, said in a statement.

The studio, which is a unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said it was too early to forecast a possible release date for the movie.

Source: Remedy.org.ua

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