Trailer Park | Captain Philips

Filmed in Malta, the real-life pirate hijacking story starring Tom Hanks is already being touted as an Oscar contender.

15 May 2013, 12:00am

1 min read

Real-life pirates: Tom Hanks shot Captain Philips in Malta last year.

Shot in Malta almost exactly a year ago, the Tom Hanks-starring Captain Philips tells the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

READ MORE: Tom Hanks... an Inter-Milan fan?

Contrary to the other big-budget blockbuster to be shot in Malta recently, World War Z, which has been beleaguered by production and budget problems, the sea-bound thriller Captain Philips appears to have been sailing smoothly to its release date, and is already being touted as an Oscar contender.

The film is directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93, Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum) and also stars Catherine Keener, Max Martini and Yul Vasquez.