Clint Eastwood is to direct a film about Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot hailed as a hero for ditching his plane on the Hudson in 2009, the studio behind the project said on Tuesday.

The veteran actor and filmmaker, fresh from breaking box office records with American Sniper, will direct and produce the as-yet-untitled film for Warner Bros Pictures.

"I am very glad my story is in the hands of gifted storyteller and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, and veteran producers Allyn Stewart and Frank Marshall," Sullenberger said in a Warner Bros statement.

"This is truly a dream team," he added.

Greg Silverman of Warner Bros added: "Simply put, Clint Eastwood is at the top of his game, not to mention a global treasure.

"On the heels of his extraordinary work in American Sniper, it is tremendously exciting to see him explore the life of another captivating true-life hero."

The US Airways pilot shot to fame on January 15 2009 when his Airbus A320 flew into a flock of geese, instantly knocking out power in both engines.

Sullenberger managed to steer to the Hudson River, off Manhattan, and made a smooth landing quickly dubbed the "Miracle on the Hudson." All 155 passengers and crew survived.

Eastwood will direct the movie from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow.