Tom Hanks confirmed to play Mister Rogers in upcoming biopic based on iconic television personality

Tom Hanks has been confirmed to play the iconic TV personality Mister Rogers in a biopic with TriStar Pictures, as reported by Variety. [caption id=“attachment_4241127” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Tom Hanks. Image from Twitter/@Unpersuaded112[/caption] Titled You Are My Friend, the project will focus on the creator of the iconic character Mister Rogers, on the beloved educational children’s program Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood. In the show, Rogers played a kind hearted, grandfatherly personality, which ran for 30 seasons and additional specials. Marielle Heller, known for the movie Diary of a Teenager Girl is directing the film. The script has been written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. “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,” says Heller, in a statement given to Variety. TriStar Pictures have acquired the worldwide distribution rights and Big Beach Films, known for Little Miss Sunshine, are the producers. The film will revolve around the real life friendship between Rogers and Tom Junod, a cynical journalist whose encounters with Rogers transformed his own life, according to a Deadline report.