In a time in which men across Washington D.C. and Hollywood prove to be the absolute worst, movie star Tom Hanks has remained America's most wholesome dad. It's only fitting, then, that the Forrest Gump actor portray the purest of pop culture icons — and looks just about perfect doing so.
Continuing in his quest to portray every famous human being possible on film, Hanks will play Fred Rogers in an upcoming movie. Titled You Are My Friend, the film centers on the real-life relationship between between Rogers and Tom Junod, a cynical journalist, whose friendship with the children's television host fundamentally changes his worldview.
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Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster wrote the script, which made the 2013 Blacklist, while Diary of a Teenage Girl director Marielle Heller is helming the project, which went into production this month.
If you've even glanced at the news lately, you know that there's a lot to be cynical about — which is why it's awesome we're getting a movie about a man who used radical goodness to not only help children navigate an often frightening and confusing world, but also take a stand against injustice.
This isn't the only time in recent history that Rogers, who died in 2003, was celebrated on the big screen. A 2018 documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, detailed the PBS host and sweater enthusiast's important legacy.
While Hanks has portrayed everyone from Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks to Captain Richard Phillips in, well, Captain Phillips, there's one thing that really makes Hanks want to attach himself to a role.
"I think it ends up being the need for connectedness," he told The Guardian in 2017. "Not just humankind, but also the human condition. Again and again, we're searching for that person who’s a magic key for us, makes us feel connected, secure, part of something bigger than ourselves. Without it, the world ain't any fun."
Mr. Rogers more than fits this bill.
The film is set to hit theaters October 2019.