There tends to be a stereotypical assumption that people working in air traffic control are more prone to suicide. Official statistics are sketchy, mind you, but there’s no question that employment at the ATC isn’t your average 9-to-5. Overseeing a fleet of airplanes day in, day out, where a split-second decision can be the difference between life and death is an area of expertise reserved for the crème de la crème, something Peter Nielsen knew all too well.
More than a decade ago, Nielsen was a Swiss air traffic controller on the clock during the infamous Überlingen mid-air collision, which resulted in the death of more than 70 people, including the wife and two children of Russian architect Vitaly Kaloyev. Such a tragic disaster sparked a fierce fight for justice back in 2002, and director Elliott Lester will soon introduce that saga to moviegoers in the form of Aftermath.
Formerly titled 478, Arnold Schwarzenegger is on board to play the husband in mourning, and you’ll be able to see the Austrian Oak channel the dramatic chops seen in Maggie via the trailer above. Meanwhile, Scoot McNairy plays the part of the helpless ATC employee, who is thrust into the eye of a media storm following the mid-air incident. Whether Lester’s pulsing thriller remains loyal to the facts – Kaloyev subsequently murdered Peter Nielsen, whom he held responsible for the deaths of his nearest and dearest – is up for question, but you can find the official logline, below.
Two strangers’ lives become inextricably bound together after a devastating plane crash. Inspired by actual events, AFTERMATH tells a story of guilt and revenge after an air traffic controller’s (Scoot McNairy) error causes the death of a construction foreman’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wife and daughter.
Also starring Mariana Klaveno, Kevin Zegers and Larry Sullivan, Aftermath has been officially cleared for takeoff. Its destination? April 7th.
