The 61-year-old actor is set to play Fred Rogers aka Mr. Rogers in a biopic about the life of children’s TV icon, star of the show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, which ran for 31 seasons, from 1968 until 2011.
The project will be directed by Marielle Heller and is based on a script penned by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (Transparent). Heller told Variety that she is “thrilled to be making” the film.
“The script knocked me out with its message of kindness and its exploration of the human spirit. As a mother, I am so inspired by the teachings of Fred Rogers and as a human, I am in awe of his life’s work. I can’t wait to bring his story to the public and be a part of such a thoughtful, smart group of people who are all coming together to make this film, which truly feels to me like an antidote to our very fractured culture.”
The film is inspired by Rogers’ real-life friendship with journalist Tom Junod who tweeted about the news saying that the film is “very loosely” based on his Esquire story.
Rogers’ Emmy-nominated series was one of the longest-running children’s shows of all time.
The Fred Rogers profile which inspired the movie to be made with Tom Hanks was the cover story of our "Heroes" issue. And the best thing about today's news is that Hanks wants Fred to be understood as a hero of his time — meaning our time, right now.https://t.co/IWhQpQxCR5
— Tom Junod (@TomJunod) January 29, 2018
It is finally happening, and in the best of ways: a movie, very loosely based on the article I wrote for @Esquire 20 years ago, with Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, two innovative screenwriters from "Transparency" scripting, and Marielle Heller directing. Well-timed, for this moment. https://t.co/JWsOCmL6XB
— Tom Junod (@TomJunod) January 29, 2018
