Despite passing away more than 15 years ago, Fred Rogers is having a bit of a moment in 2018. The star of the iconic children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was already the subject of one of the best documentaries of the year (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”) and now, we get our first look at the upcoming biopic about Rogers, starring none other than the most lovable man in Hollywood — Tom Hanks.
In the picture posted to Sony’s Twitter account, we see that Hanks still has that Hanks look, but there’s something about a red cardigan and some gray hair that makes it unmistakably ‘Mister Rogers.’ Even though he’s sitting on the step to his trailer (and not in a chair on the set of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”) with production notes in hand, Hanks just has that Fred Rogers charm that is sure to make his performance in the film something special.
That being said, the untitled film isn’t your typical biopic. While the film will most definitely feature Fred Rogers prominently, the film is taking a more unique approach to the biopic formula by featuring a cynical journalist, played by “The Americans” star Matthew Rhys, that develops an unlikely friendship with the TV star. The film also stars Chris Cooper and Susan Kelechi Watson.
The biopic is directed by Marielle Heller, who is probably best known for her film “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” and the upcoming, awards contender “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.
READ MORE: ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ Is An Unexpected Little Gem Of A Movie [Telluride Review]
The Sony tweet also confirms that the untitled film will be hitting theaters in October 2019, which means that Tom Hanks has yet another awards season coming next year.
https://twitter.com/sonypictures/status/1045386352122970113
