The first trailer for Clint Eastwood’s “The 15:17 to Paris” landed on Wednesday, teasing the backstory behind the three American heroes who thwarted a terrorist attack on board a Paris-bound train in August 2015.
In an unusual twist, Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone play themselves in the film — alongside actors depicting their boyhood selves as well as others in their lives past and present.
The cast includes Jenna Fischer (“Hall Pass”); Judy Greer (“War for the Planet of the Apes”); Ray Corasani (“The Long Road Home”); PJ Byrne (“The Wolf of Wall Street”); Tony Hale (TV’s “Veep”); and Thomas Lennon (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”).
Paul-Mikél Williams plays the younger Anthony, Bryce Gheisar plays the younger Alek, and William Jennings plays the younger Spencer.
Eastwood (“Sully,” “American Sniper”) directs from a screenplay by Dorothy Blyskal, based on the book by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Jeffrey E. Stern. Eastwood also produces the film, along with Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera and Jessica Meier. The film’s executive producer is Bruce Berman.
In the early evening of Aug. 21, 2015, the three Americans traveling through Europe helped to thwart a terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris with 500 passengers on board.
The film follows the course of the friends’ lives, from the struggles of childhood through finding their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events leading up to the attack.
Warner Bros. will release the film in theaters on February 9, 2018.
Watch the trailer above.