Just in time for the weekend, a quick tug on the heartstrings!
Sony Pictures has dropped the first photos of Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, and it's hitting people everywhere right in the feels. You gotta admit: he really does look like the beloved icon! It's all there: the red cardigan, the khakis, the sneakers, the salt and pepper hair... it's like being a kid all over again! And who better to play such a beloved figure than arguably the most likable man in Hollywood.
The film, which comes out in October 2019, will center on the unlikely friendship between Mr. Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, who wrote a profile of Rogers for Esquire back in 1998. According to TriStar Pictures, Junod wasn't particularly interested in the assignment, but was won over by Mr. Rogers's warm spirit. TriStar described the film as a story about "a cynical journalist begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective on life transformed."
Director Marielle Heller, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, described the film as being about "one man who's in a critical point in his life – becoming a new father, having issues with his own father – and meeting Mr. Rogers to write a piece about him, thinking it's going to be a bit of a puff piece, but it ends up changing his entire life."
Yep, that sounds like Mr. Rogers all right!
On social media, the image seemed to be just what the doctor ordered, and everyone was feeling excited about the movie and nostalgic about the beloved man it depicts:
If you need it, take a quick second and look at Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers for a wholesome palate cleanser. https://t.co/tHESwcrDoB— Jacob Givens (@Jacob Givens) 1538082391.0
All. The. Feels. https://t.co/mE6wxV2vCD— Chelsea Patterson Sobolik (@Chelsea Patterson Sobolik) 1538078079.0
First, Tom Hanks played Walt Disney. Now Fred Rogers. I think he might be the most likable man ever to grace Hollyw… https://t.co/X3H91KsbtD— Kevin Wohler ♿️ (@Kevin Wohler ♿️) 1538080075.0
Get ready to go right back to your childhood...#YouAreMyFriend https://t.co/x4HG4JoCHX— Susan Kelechi Watson (@Susan Kelechi Watson) 1538082155.0
@SonyPictures @tomhanks Could we have this today?? Please?? We all need to find the helpers. ❤️— D. Reid (@D. Reid) 1538075025.0
@alysa_poss @SonyPictures @tomhanks This is going to be my favorite thing ever. This is my childhood coming back to… https://t.co/BzdaBC1OMv— Seth Edwards (@Seth Edwards) 1538094716.0
@ChelsPat America needs this.— Samuel James (@Samuel James) 1538078120.0
@skelechiwatson My blood pressure is already dropping and I feel a virtual hug. Mr. Rogers was the best ❤❤❤— lazach (@lazach) 1538149472.0
@EW If you blink it is Mr. Rogers😊— Michele Culbertson (@Michele Culbertson) 1538082992.0
Why did this image make me tear up? Tom Hanks Is Fred Rogers in First Look at Movie About Beloved TV Icon… https://t.co/WKg3bPEKck— Angélique Roché (@Angélique Roché) 1538139175.0
Can't wait for Hanks to drop by and bring some much needed upbeat warmth to the neighborhood!
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