Since hanging up his Bourne directing hat (looks like someone else has picked it up), Paul Greengrass has switched between returning to the historical thrillers that brought him to the world's attention (22 July) and crafted a novel adaptation News Of The World. Warner Bros. has him on board to work on another book-to-screen gig, as he's now attached to write, direct and produce a film based on TJ Newman's Drowning: The Rescue Of Flight 1421.
Newman's novel follows what happens when a plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean six minutes following takeoff and is flooded after an explosion during evacuation. A dozen survivors sink in a sealed part of the aircraft as it perches precariously on an undersea cliff 200 feet below the surface. Among them is an engineer and his 11-year-old daughter. His estranged wife — the girl’s mother — is part of the elite rescue team that races to save the passengers before their air runs out.
Warners won the rights to this one after a heated bidding contest with the likes of Paramount, Apple, Legendary and Universal Television. Greengrass will produce the film with Shane Salerno and The Story Factory.