Tom Hanks has signed on to play Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in a biopic about the beloved children’s TV legend.
“You Are My Friend” is based on Rogers’ relationship with journalist Tom Junod, who got to know the icon while writing a profile of him for “Esquire” magazine in 1998. It’s described as a feel-good film in which “a cynical journalist begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective on life transformed.”
According to Hannah Minghella, the president of TriStar Pictures, the point of the story is “to remind us all of the transformative power of kindness and respect to heal and unite.”