Upcoming Tom Hanks Movies To Keep On Your Radar
(Welcome to On Your Radar, a series where we take a look at what's next for the biggest actors and filmmakers, and why you should be excited...or not.)
Tom Hanks is perhaps the most beloved American actor working today. I don't know if there's any hard data to support that claim, but it has to be right. Have you ever heard anyone say that they hate Tom Hanks? Me neither. Because no such person exists. It's impossible.
Given that every person who watches movies is a Tom Hanks fan, let's take a look at what "America's dad" is up to next. Here are some upcoming Tom Hanks movies to keep on your radar
Finch
Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik is helming this sci-fi drama, which stars Hanks as a dying scientist who creates an android to watch over his dog. That sounds unbelievably sad, and it seems like Apple is positioning this as a potential awards contender. Caleb Landry Jones co-stars. The screenplay was written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell.
Finch is expected to premiere on AppleTV+ on November 5, 2021.
(Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Samira Wiley and Skeet Ulrich were also a part of this film's cast. That information was outdated, and has since been removed.)
Pinocchio
Robert Zemeckis (the Back to the Future trilogy) is directing this live-action remake of the Disney animated classic, reuniting him with Hanks for the first time since the pair worked together on Cast Away more than twenty years ago. Hanks will play Geppetto, the lonely old man who carves himself a wooden boy who is magically brought to life. I'm generally not a fan of these live-action remakes, but maybe Zemeckis can make it feel different enough from the original that it will feel like it has its own identity.
Pinocchio does not have a release date yet, but given that it began production earlier this year, we expect it to arrive on Disney+ at some point in 2022.
Untitled Elvis Presley Biopic
Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis movie made headlines in March 2020 when Hanks became the first major actor to contract coronavirus. Hanks is playing Colonel Tom Parker, the veteran manager of the King of Rock and Roll (Austin Butler) who stuck with "The King" for years and who reportedly managed his career in some unethical ways.
As of now, Warner Bros. is set to release this movie on June 3, 2022.
Major Matt Mason
Two years ago, Hanks was attached to star in a film based on Major Matt Mason, an astronaut action figure that Mattel produced in the 1960s during America's space race with Russia. Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, The Dark Tower) was on board to write the script at that point, but we haven't heard a peep about this project since 2019, so it's unclear if it's still on Hanks' dance card.
A Man Called Ove
In 2017, Hanks was attached to star in an American remake of a Swedish film called A Man Called Ove, which follows a grumpy widower who spends his days berating his neighbor, visiting his wife's grave, and failing to take his own life. But when a family moves in next door and wriggles their way into his life, his isolated existence is interrupted.
Untitled Wes Anderson Movie
Just a few days ago, a report came out linking Hanks to the next film from The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom director Wes Anderson. Details are still scarce: we know it's filming at least partially in Spain, and that Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton are on board. It's possible that Hanks' part will only amount to a cameo, but this is the first time he'll be working with Anderson, and we're excited about the prospect of many more collaborations to come.