In the new TriStar Pictures trailer for “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” actor Tom Hanks appears convincing as the mild-mannered children’s program host and Latrobe native Fred Rogers — or Mister Rogers, as generations of children knew him.
Scheduled for release on Thanksgiving Day, the film is described as the “story of kindness triumphing over cynicism.”
Hanks is shown entering a set reminiscent of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood,” exchanging his suit jacket for a red cardigan and sliding off his loafers and slipping on tennis shoes, just as Rogers did when opening his program.
The trailer gives glimpses of the character Mr. McFeely, known for making “speedy deliveries,” and Rogers’ puppets, including Daniel Tiger, X the Owl and Lady Elaine Fairchild.
Calling all #MisterRogers fans…won’t you help us choose your favorite emoji to represent #ABeautifulDayMovie?
— A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (@ABeautifulDay) July 22, 2019
The biopic is directed by “Diary of a Teenage Girl’s” Marielle Heller and based on a relationship between Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, who wrote a long-form biography of Rogers for Esquire in 1998.
Matthew Rhys of “The Americans” plays Junod.
Hanks was spotted in Westmoreland County in 2018 doing research for the film and filming in the Pittsburgh area.
