The successful emergency landing of a Sichuan Airlines flight after its cockpit windshield burst will be adapted into a movie.
Dubbed as the Chinese version of Sully, the movie will be directed by Liu Weiqiang, a famous Hong Kong director, and stars renowned Chinese actor Zhang Hanyu and actress Yuan Quan.
The flight, Sichuan Airlines 3U8633, made an emergency landing in the Southwest Chinese city of Chengdu on May 14, after a windshield burst when the plane left for Lhasa from the central Chinese municipality of Chongqing.
The landing was called a "miracle in the aviation history of the world." Liu Chuanjian, the captain of the airplane, was hailed as the "hero captain of China's civil aviation" for his proper handling of the crisis, and the crew members have been honored as heroes.
The movie, based on the heroic deeds of the pilot, is under preparation with the support of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The director earlier helmed another epic story with a patriotic theme, The Founding of an Army.
"The lives of 128 passengers were saved by him. The heart-stopping 30-minutes should be made into a movie," said the director.
Six months after the emergency landing in Chengdu, the crew flew to Beijing. This shows the hero crew members had the professionalism and nerve to return to the blue sky, despite their near-death experience.
Some of the cast members in the film joined the crew on this flight, to understand their roles better.
