Sony Pictures has unveiled a brand new featurette for their upcoming biopic A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, which gives us an intimate look at Tom Hanks' astonishing transformation into the iconic TV personality, Mister Rogers. As the featurette plays on, we're shown the level of care that the Oscar-winning actor dedicated to honoring the late Fred Rogers, whose half-hour children's program transcended the genre by pushing many of the boundaries that had been hefted upon the platform for years by network executives.
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD tells the story of an investigative reporter, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), who is assigned a 400-word puff piece on beloved children’s TV host Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks). Determined to unmask Rogers' cheery facade, Vogel is left feeling dumbfounded when Rogers takes a personal interest in his well-being and tries to help him heal some old wounds.
You can watch the new featurette below:
Penning the screenplay for A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD are MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL and TRANSPARENT writers Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Meanwhile, Marielle Heller (CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?) will direct the undoubtedly tear-jerking drama. The upcoming biopic also stars Chris Cooper as Jerry Vogel; Susan Kelechi Watson as Andrea Vogel; Christine Lahti as Ellen; and Wendy Makkena as Dorothy, among others.
Perhaps my favorite part of this new featurette is hearing Heller speak about Hanks' effort toward bringing Fred Rogers to life on the big screen. I can almost feel her struggle to find words that will do the actor's performance justice. I also enjoy seeing the warmth of Hanks' smile, a grimace that I've known my entire life, re-purposed for the sake of portraying one of television's greatest legends. I have no doubt that A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD will bring tears to the eyes of those who experience the film, and I can't wait to check it out myself when it arrives in theaters on November 22, 2019.