Joseph Gordon-Levitt Film ‘The Walk’ to Open New York Film Festival (Video)

Robert Zemeckis drama depicts high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s walk between the World Trade Center towers

Robert Zemeckis‘ “The Walk,” which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as high-wire artist Philippe Petit, will serve as the opening-night attraction of the 2015 New York Film Festival, NYFF organizers announced on Thursday.

The film deals with Petit’s famous walk on a wire stretched between the newly-opened World Trade Centers in 1974. That event was turned into an Oscar-winning documentary, “Man on Wire,” but Zemeckis’ film is based on Petit’s memoir, “To Reach the Clouds.”

The film will screen on Sept. 25 at Alice Tully Hall in 3D, making it the second 3D film to open the festival, after Ang Lee‘s “Life of Pi” in 2012.

TriStar Pictures, which will release “The Walk” in October, also released the first trailer for the film on Thursday.

Also read: Toronto Film Festival Makes ‘Adjustments’ to Anti-Telluride Policy

This year’s New York Film Festival will run from Sept. 25 through Oct. 11 in New York City. In recent years, NYFF has been a potent showcase for films with Oscar potential, with its high-profile slots going to the likes of “Life of Pi,” “Gone Girl” and “Captain Phillips.”

It has also begun to announce its selections early, grabbing key films before the Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals have announced their selections. Last year’s opening-night film, “Gone Girl,” was announced in mid-July – earlier than usual for NYFF, though not nearly as early as this year’s announcement.

“The Walk” would always have been a natural for NYFF, given its setting and subject.

Watch the video.

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