Warner Brothers has released the first trailer for Clint Eastwood's "The 15:17 to Paris." The film, which portrays the heroics of three young men who stopped a terrorist aboard a train in Paris in 2015, allows the real life heroes to tell the story.
On August 21, 2015, Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone were on the 15:17 train from Amsterdam to Paris. They were friends just enjoying a few days' vacation. Suddenly, they discovered that a terrorist was one of the 500 passengers onboard. He was armed with an AK-47 and a handgun. Without hesitation, the young men jumped up to confront and subdue the would be attacker.
Their heroics earned them a White House invitation by President Obama, and France's Legion of Honor awards, presented to them by French President Francois Hollande.
Eastwood took the bold step of hiring the three young men to portray themselves in the film. In the first released trailer, we find out that the movie tells more than just what transpired on the train. It delves into the men's childhood, their military training, and the series of events that ended them on the 15:17 to Paris.
"In the face of fear, ordinary people can do the extraordinary," the trailer declares.
"I don't know man, ever feel like life is just pushing us toward something, like some greater purpose?" Stone asks Sadler in one of the flashbacks, before it fast forwards again to the intense moments on the train.
Eastwood has a knack for directing films that put American heroism in the spotlight. "American Sniper," released in 2015 and starring Bradley Cooper, told the story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history. He had 160 confirmed kills from four tours in Iraq, before being tragically gunned down by a Marine veteran at a shooting range in Texas.
While its stars are just regular guys, "The 15:17 to Paris" does feature a few Hollywood veterans, including Jenna Fischer, Judy Greer and Tony Hale.
The film is based off the book "The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes," written by Skarlatos, Stone, Sadler and Jeffrey E. Stern.