Wild ride for French train heroes began two years ago today. Where are they now?

Two years ago today, three young men from Sacramento were on a French train when another man emerged from the bathroom with an automatic rifle and opened fire.

Friends Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler helped subdue the heavily armed man in the 2015 incident between Amsterdam and Paris. Police said their actions prevented a terror attack. The attacker slashed Stone with a box-cutter in the fracas, and all three men were among those later awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration.

Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler, who all have local roots, also were feted as “Hometown Heroes” at a Sacramento parade in their honor. Stone was later stabbed in a dispute outside a strip of popular downtown Sacramento nightclubs. He recovered from his injuries and his assailant was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to the attack.

The three men went on to write a book, “The 15:17 to Paris,” with veteran journalist Jeffrey E. Stern about their experiences. The book became the basis for a script by Dorothy Blyskal, reports Deadline.com.

Director Clint Eastwood cast the three men as themselves in the film based on the book. Production on the film began in July.

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Wild ride for French train heroes began two years ago today. Where are they now?."