It’s hard to believe that Fred Rogers (1928-2003) has been gone for 16 years now, but his memory and legacy is being kept alive by his legions of adoring fans. And now Hollywood is helping out as well.
Mister Rogers already got the documentary film treatment with 2018’s critically acclaimed Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, and now Tom Hanks will star as the iconic television host in the upcoming film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
The film is based on a 1998 article by Tom Junod for Esquire magazine. Junod’s article detailed the effect Rogers had on millions of fans (and Junod himself) because of his kindness and optimism.
From the reactions on social media, it looks like people are going to need a whole lot of Kleenex to get through this film.
https://twitter.com/eiffeltyler/status/1153302182898348032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeednews.com%2Farticle%2Fjuliareinstein%2Ftom-hanks-mister-rogers-trailer-a-beautiful-day-in-the
https://twitter.com/starkslovemail/status/1153304316230295553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeednews.com%2Farticle%2Fjuliareinstein%2Ftom-hanks-mister-rogers-trailer-a-beautiful-day-in-the
Tom Hanks looks to be the perfect choice to play Fred Rogers, doesn’t he? A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood also stars Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, and Susan Kelechi Watson.
Check out the trailer for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Fred Rogers hosted his famous television program from 1968-2001, and I think it’s pretty safe to say he made an enormous impact on people all over the world. Rogers’ home state of Pennsylvania even has a holiday to honor the man himself. 1-4-3 will now be celebrated every year on May 23 as a statewide day of kindness.
The film is set to open on November 22, 2019. As the person said in one of the tweets above, go ahead and take my money. NOW.
