The late Fred Rogers, host of the classic PBS children's show MR. ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD, has been talked about a lot this year. Some of that conversation has been about the wonderful documentary that was recently released about him, WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR (Our review).
The rest of the conversation about Rogers recently has centered around a nostalgic yearning for him to be with us today. Many people my age and older watched his television show as children and it influenced our sense of kindness, morality, and openness. He's seen as a symbol of decency and hope. These are things that sadly feel in short supply in 2018.
So, the love for Fred Rogers may never have been higher than it has been the last couple of years. This naturally led to interest in a feature film about Rogers and Sony is the company that went for it.
Who would you get to play Rogers though? Honestly, I think the choice they made was the only choice that ever could have worked; Tom Hanks. He, much like Fred Rogers, gives off that vibe of being an inherently decent and kind human being. It's a rare trait for a movie star as famous as Hanks is.
The film, which at this time is still untitled, will focus on the friendship between Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, played by Matthew Rhys of FX's THE AMERICANS. Their friendship led to a thorough 1988 profile on Rogers for Esquire. Click HERE to read it. I highly recommend it.
We haven’t seen any images from the production yet until today when Sony posted this image of Tom Hanks in full Mr. Rogers regalia to their Twitter page. Let's have a look:
Yep. I like it.
What do you guys think? Can Hanks pull off playing such an iconic person in pop culture? Let us know what you think!
Sony’s untitled Mr. Rogers film will hit theaters October 2019.
-Wheels
