Tom Hanks To Play Mr. Rogers In Upcoming Biopic
Moviegoers will be seeing Tom Hanks sing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" in the near future. The actor will be portraying a television legend.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood Heads To The Silver Screen
Hanks will portray children's television icon, Fred Rogers, in the upcoming film, You Are My Friend. In the film, Hanks' Rogers will interact with journalist Tom Junod, who has been assigned by Esquire Magazine to write a feature article about the television icon. The film is expected to showcase how Junod, who detested covering the television star, was impacted by the television veteran.
You Are My Friend's screenplay was written by Transparent veterans Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Diary of a Teenage Girl's Marielle Heller is expected to bring Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster to the silver screen. Heller stated that Rogers's teachings helped her grow as a mom and she hoped that the film would slowly heal the divided country.
Tom Hanks's History With Biographical Flims
In the latter half of Hanks' career, the Forrest Gump actor has portrayed a plethora of public figures. Hanks portrayed The Washington Post's legendary editor Ben Bradlee in Steven Spielberg's The Post, which featured The Washington Post tackling the Nixon White House to publish the Pentagon Papers.
The veteran actor also portrayed heroic pilot Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger in the 2016 biographical film Sully. The film focused on Captain Sullenberger landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in New York after hitting geese. All 155 people on board survived the flight.
In 2013, he starred as Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks. The film focused on how Disney tried to successfully woo Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers to use her beloved character in his latest box office film.
Hanks also starred as Captain Richard Phillips in the 2013 silver screen adaptation of Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty's A Captain's Duty. However, the crew condemned the film and called it 'one big lie.'
Mr. Rogers's Legacy
As Hanks steps into the shoes of Fred Rogers, there are other Mister Rogers' Neighborhood related projects that reflect the show's legacy.
The documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor, made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. It is expected to release later this year.
In addition, the series's cartoon spin-off, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, continues to teach a new generation of fans some of Mr. Rogers' ideas and lessons through the children of the ficitional Land of Make Believe.
TriStar Pictures has not yet announced a release date.
