Tom Hanks’ Mister Rogers Film Rounds Out Cast
The yet-to-be-titled Tom Hanks-starring Mister Rogers project has set its supporting cast as filming of the TriStar Pictures feature is currently underway. Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars), Maryann Plunkett (Blue Valentine), Tammy Blanchard (Into The Woods), Wendy Makkena (Sister Act films), Sakina Jaffrey (Timeless), Carmen Cusack (Facebook’s Sorry for Your Loss), Noah Harpster (Transparent), and Maddie Corman (Younger) have all been welcomed into the neighborhood. They join Hanks as well as previously announced Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi, and Chris Cooper.
Marielle Heller is at the helm, directing from Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster’s screenplay. The film, formally titled You Are My Friend, is inspired by the article Can You Say. . . Hero? by Tom Junod. It’s based on the real-life friendship between Fred Rogers (Hanks) and Junod. In the heart-warming story, a cynical journalist begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective on life transformed.
Rhys will play Lloyd, a fictionalized version of Junod.
More character breakdowns: Colantoni will play Bill Isler, longtime president & CEO of The Fred Rogers Company. Plunkett is Joanne Rogers, Fred’s wife. Blanchard portrays Lorraine, Lloyd’s sister. Noah Harpster is Lloyd’s brother-in-law, Todd. Makkena plays Dorothy, Lloyd’s father’s girlfriend. Jaffrey’s character is Ellen, Lloyd’s editor. Cusack plays longtime Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood producer, Margy. Corman is Lady Aberlin, a character on the show.
TriStar nabbed worldwide rights from Big Beach. Producers are Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf of Big Beach, and Youree Henley, while Leah Holzer (Big Beach), Fitzerman-Blue, and Harpster are executive producers.
The pic hits theaters October 18, 2019.
Colantoni is repped by Vanguard Management Group, Innovative Artists, and Characters Talent Agency; Plunkett by Davis Spylios Management; Blanchard by Gersh and Soffer, Namoff; Makkena by Mark Schumacher Management and Nicolossi & Co; Jaffrey by Greene Talent; Cusack by Schachter Entertainment and Stone Manners Salners Agency; Harpster by Mosaic, UTA, Haven, and Kaplan/Perrone; Corman by Abrams Artists Agency.
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