Break out the cardigans: Tom Hanks is playing Mr. Rogers.
The Oscar-winning actor is set to play Fred Rogers, the famed host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," in a new biopic for TriStar, the studio announced Monday.
"You Are My Friend" is based on a real-life friendship between Rogers and Tom Junod, a journalist who befriends Rogers while profiling him for an assignment.
Marielle Heller ("Diary of a Teenage Girl") will helm the film from a script written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.
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Richard Attenborough recruited Ben Kingsley (aka Krishna Pandit Bhanji) to play the famed revolutionary Mohandas K. Gandhi in his 1982 epic, 'Gandhi.' The film, which traces Gandhi's roots as a lawyer to his famous philosophy of non-violent protest, won 8 Oscars. The prizes included Best Picture, Best Director for Attenborough, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Kingsley himself, who happens to be half Indian.
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"I'm thrilled to be making 'You Are My Friend,'" Heller said in a statement. "The script knocked me out with its message of kindness and its exploration of the human spirit."
Rogers died in 2003, leaving behind an iconic legacy in the form of his popular children's television show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which ran for more than 30 seasons.
A documentary on the series, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" premiered at Sundance this year.
Hanks, meanwhile, is fresh off a Golden Globes-nominated turn in "The Post."
