TOM HANKS LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

TOM HANKS TO PLAY MR. ROGERS IN FILM YOU ARE MY FRIEND

This fall, production for the biopic You Are My Friend will begin and Tom Hanks will portray everyone’s favorite neighbor. The film is inspired by the real-life friendship of Mr. Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, with the film showing how Mr. Rogers’ view of life affected Junod’s (and everyone else’s) perspective.

Before Junod met Rogers, he was described as cynical and sarcastic. You Are My Friend shows Junod following Rogers around in order to write a profile piece on him. During that time Junod learns a little of what made Rogers delightful person we all know today.

The film will be directed by Marielle Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl), with the script written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

Tom Hanks has been able to pull at audience’s heartstrings before and with him as Mr. Rogers, someone is guaranteed to come out crying. Heller herself had this to say about the film:

“I’m thrilled to be making ‘You Are My Friend.’ 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.”

Hollywood never needed to make a biopic on Mr. Rogers, but most of the time the films we don’t need tell the best stories. With superhero blockbusters and outrageous comedies running rampant in theaters, You Are My Friend has the potential to return the film medium to its roots.

There’s no further word on when and how the film will release.

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