Over his long career, Tom Hanks has established a rock-solid screen persona as an affectionate, good-natured father figure. The culmination of this squeaky-clean image was perhaps his Oscar-nominated performance as a TV host and legendary mensch Fred Rogers in 2019’s “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” But more recent films like “News of the World,” “Finch,” and especially this year’s “Elvis” have seen Hanks embrace darker, more emotionally ambiguous characters.
That trend continues with “A Man Called Otto,” an upcoming comedy-drama from director Marc Forster in which Hanks plays the lead, an aging curmudgeon contemplating suicide. Here’s the official synopsis:
“When his wife dies, and he is forced to retire from his job of nearly 40 years, grumpy 60-year-old Otto decides to commit suicide. But his attempts are constantly interrupted by his boisterous new neighbors, which leads to an unlikely friendship.”
The project is an English-language adaptation of Swedish writer/director Hannes Holm’s acclaimed 2015 film “A Man Called Ove,” itself adapted from a best-selling Fredrik Backman novel. Holm’s movie was nominated for two Academy Awards, including “Best Foreign Language Film,” which bodes well for Hanks’ chances of once again walking the red carpet come next awards season.
This time, the screenplay was written by David Magee, who previously collaborated with Forster on 2004’s “Finding Neverland.” Magee’s more recent credits include “Life of Pi” and “Mary Poppins Returns.” Meanwhile, Forster last directed 2018’s “Christopher Robin” and helmed the upcoming WWII-set drama “White Bird: A Wonder Story.”
“A Man Called Otto” will also feature Mariana Treviño (“Narcos”), Rachel Keller (“Tokyo Vice”), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (“The Lincoln Lawyer”), Cameron Britton (“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window”), and Mike Birbiglia (“Human Resources”).
“A Man Called Otto” opens in NY/LA on December 25 and then goes wide on January 13. Take a look at the first trailer below.