Michael Pena, Maggie Gyllenhaal to Star in Untitled World Trade Center Project  8/1/05

Michael Pena, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello to Co-Star in Paramount Pictures' Untitled World Trade Center Project

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Pena, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Maria Bello have been cast in Paramount Pictures' upcoming untitled World Trade Center project, which stars Nicolas Cage and will be directed by Oliver Stone from a screenplay written by Andrea Berloff. Pena will portray Port Authority police officer William J. Jimeno, one of the last two men rescued from the collapsed buildings, and Gyllenhaal will portray his wife, Allison. Maria Bello will play Donna, wife of Sgt. John McLoughlin, the officer who was trapped in the rubble with Jimeno; Nicolas Cage will play McLoughlin. The film is produced by Double Feature Films' Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher and former InterMedia Films chairman Moritz Borman. Debra Hill will also be credited, posthumously, as a producer.

Shamberg and Sher said, "As we cast this project, we brought the actors together with the real-life heroes they'll be playing. Both the Jimenos and the McLoughlins were impressed by the level of commitment that Michael, Maggie, and Maria were making to tell this story the right way. They all have the complete support of both families."

Pena said, "I was really impressed when I met Will -- the police motto, 'protect and serve,' really means something to him. All he ever wanted to do is be a cop -- it's one thing to read that on the page, but another thing to hear him say it. It feels great to be making a movie about great cops."

Gyllenhaal said, "I'm excited to be a part of this important project. Will and John are genuine heroes and I think their wives, Allison and Donna, are heroes, too. I feel privileged to be part of a project that will remember how we all came together on that day."

Bello said, "It's been a very long time since I've been as moved as when I read Andrea's screenplay. I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of telling this extraordinary story. And to have the opportunity to collaborate with the brilliance of Oliver and Nic is a creative dream."

The film follows the story of two Port Authority policemen who are trapped in the rubble during the rescue efforts and also focuses on their rescuers and their families, who are attempting to find out what happened to the trapped men. The film is a portrayal of how the human spirit rose above the tragic events of that day.

Paramount Pictures is a part of the entertainment operations of Viacom, Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies and a leader in the production, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music.

SOURCE Paramount Pictures

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