Tony Scott, the director of Top Gun (which we now know will not be getting a sequel starring Tom Cruise, despite what producer Jerry Bruckheimer says), Enemy of the State, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, appears to be gearing up to take Hollywood by storm with a whole host of big projects; he’s only recently released The A-Team (which he produced), he’s producing the Untitled Alien Prequel (the Ridley Scott endorsed and directed movies that will showcase the horrors that facehuggers caused in a space pre-Ripley), and attached to a Hell’s Angels movie, a Regan/Gorbachev project, and is due to direct the action blockbuster Unstoppable.
Unstoppable is loosely based on a true story, and focusses on the efforts of an experienced rail engineer and a young conductor who are frantically racing to find a way of stopping a runaway freight train; that happens to be half a mile long, and carrying not only combustible liquids, but also poisonous gasses; from devastating an entire city.
Denzel Washington (Training Day) is attached to play the Engineer (having some experience with awkward situations involving trains, after his stint in Pelham 1 2 3), and is being joined by Star Trek’s Chris Pine; as the young and inexperienced conductor; as well as Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds), Kevin Dunn (Transformers), and Jessy Schram (Life).
Unstoppable had numerous production problems, casting and schedule issues, budget concerns, and was even delayed for a day when the train that was being used got out of control and derailed, but despite all the problems, it’s been pulled together, has just had its first official trailer released (which can be viewed below), and is firmly on track for a release on November 12th this year.
