See Tom Hanks as a Grumpy Widower Who Finds Unlikely Friendships in A Man Called Otto First Look

Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks star in Columbia Pictures A MAN CALLED OTTO. photo by: Niko Tavernise https://app.asana.com/0/1202556224425358/1203199724400417/f
Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks star in Columbia Pictures A MAN CALLED OTTO. photo by: Niko Tavernise https://app.asana.com/0/1202556224425358/1203199724400417/f
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Niko Tavernise

Tom Hanks is exploring the power of friendship.

Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Christopher Robin), A Man Called Otto is based on Swedish author Fredrik Backman's 2012 novel A Man Called Ove. Here, Hanks plays Otto Anderson, a grumpy widower who strikes up an unlikely friendship with his new next-door neighbors.

In the first photos from the film, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Hanks' character stands beside Marisol (played by Mariana Treviño), the "quick-witted and very pregnant" neighbor he becomes friends with, ultimately turning "his world upside-down," per a synopsis.

"The way you treat your own neighbors, the way people can come together in any time of crisis happens over and over again. Anytime there's a tornado, a flood or something that hits a very particular community, everybody comes out and helps," Hanks tells PEOPLE.

"A Man Called Otto is a movie about community and a movie about family," he adds.

RELATED: Tom Hanks Writes First Novel Inspired by 'Important Lessons' from His Hollywood Experiences

Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks star in Columbia Pictures A MAN CALLED OTTO. photo by: Niko Tavernise https://app.asana.com/0/1202556224425358/1203199724400417/f
Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks star in Columbia Pictures A MAN CALLED OTTO. photo by: Niko Tavernise https://app.asana.com/0/1202556224425358/1203199724400417/f

Niko Tavernise

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Both Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson are producers on the new movie, which also stars Rachel Keller and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.

The upcoming movie — written by David Magee, who received Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for 2004's Finding Neverland and 2012's Life of Pi — makes for the second time Backman's novel has been adapted to the screen.

A Swedish adaptation written and directed by filmmaker Hannes Holm, also titled A Man Called Ove, was released in 2015. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the time.

A Man Called Otto hits select theaters Dec. 25 then everywhere Jan. 13.