Tom Hanks is hoping to position himself, once again, in the heart of the coming awards season with his new film, “News of the World.” And while we have been hit with an onslaught of delays from other major films being released in 2020, it appears that the new drama is still on its way to theaters this holiday season, as we are given new pictures from the film.
In the film, and as seen in Vanity Fair’s first-look photos, Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kidd, a traveler that ventures through Texas telling stories of adventures from afar. His goal is to make money, but also connect the people of the Old West through the power of story and maybe expand the scope of their societal outlook. And according to director Paul Greengrass, this is a vital job.
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“When the fabric of society is in tatters, you’ve got a character in Kidd, who in his lonely, singular, small way is a thread who connects one community to another,” said the director.
Of course, when you talk about a society in tatters, you can’t help but bring to mind the current state of the world, especially in the United States, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to kill thousands of people, protests continue in the streets fighting systemic racism, and our Presidential Election is teetering on chaos. All of this makes “News of the World” a timely film, even if it is set in the Old West.
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“Even though it’s set then, it’s a film about our times,” Greengrass added. “Neighbors and families and communities were in stark and often violent conflict with each other, and Americans needed to decide who they were as Americans.”
And just as it is now, the journalistic attempts by Kidd, to spread the, uh, news of the world, isn’t always welcome, as people tend to be skeptical of the media. Even back then.
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“Information was suspect,” said Greengrass. “The world was filled with division, loss, economic hardship. The world was filled with rumors and false narratives. Audiences were never sure whom they could trust to tell them the truth.”
“News of the World” is expected to be a major awards season player when it hits theaters on December 25. You can see all the new pictures from the film below.
