The movie “Plane,” starring Gerard Butler, claimed the top spot on Netflix’s trending titles list this past weekend, pushing Tyler Perry’s “Straw” to second place. This surge in popularity can be attributed to the Father’s Day celebration.
“Plane,” directed by Jean-François Richet, features Butler as a commercial plane pilot who must perform an emergency landing on Jolo island in the Philippines. Stranded with passengers, they must confront dangerous rebels who attack them, taking hostages for ransom. The film also stars Mike Colter, Yoson An, and Tony Goldwyn. Initially seen as a B-movie action flick, “Plane” surprised everyone by grossing over $47.8 million in cinemas worldwide. Now, with its availability on Netflix, the movie is expected to gain even more traction.
Given the prevalence of Boeing plane crashes in recent years, some viewers might question if “Plane” on Netflix is based on a true story. Let’s dive into what we currently know.
The 2023 movie Plane is not based on a true story. It entirely fictional, ie; a story that is made up and not based on real-life events. The movie is based on an original pitch from British spy novelist Charles Cumming. Plane was not based on a previous novel, but was Cumming’s idea. Cumming co-wrote the Plane screenplay with J. P. Davis.
In a 2023 interview with Hollywood Insider, Cumming said he got the idea for Plane while on en route to a vacation with his family in Egypt in 2016, and that he originally envisioned the movie taking place in Syria.
“It was the height of ISIS’s campaign in Syria and Iraq,” Cumming explained. “I thought, ‘What would happen if our plane had been diverted by bad weather, and it had come down and crash-landed in Syria, and was set upon by terrorists?’ I thought it was a great idea for a movie, so I came to LA. I pitched it, and I sold it, and then [the story] was moved to the Philippines. But that was the kernel of the original idea.”
Prior to Plane, Cumming was already a successful spy novelist, including the 2010 New York Times bestselling book, The Trinity Six.
Though Plane is not based on a true story, some Filipino officials took issue with the movie’s unflattering portrayal of their country, and argued that it was not accurate. In the movie, the real-life Jolo island is portrayed as an area overrun by gangs, separatists, and unauthorized militia. It’s implied the island has slipped away from the Filipino government control.
Filipino senator Robin Padilla called on the president to ban and condemn the movie.
This is not the first time the Philippines has banned, or proposed banning, a Hollywood film. Both 2022’s Uncharted and 2019’s Abominable were banned in the country after the movies portrayed a China-endorsed map that showed the disputed “nine-dash line” territory.”
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