Tom Hanks Is Joining An Iconic Director’s Next Film

Two-time Academy Winner Tom Hanks has been sticking to a busy schedule lately and has recently added yet another elite project to his resume.

By Apeksha Bagchi | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

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In Hollywood, the films of Wes Anderson are examples of pure excellence whether you pick with Isle of Dogs or The Grand Budapest Hotel, both of which won him an Academy Award. His films are known for bringing together the best talent in the cinematic world and his upcoming, though yet untitled film is no different. After amassing a stellar cast for the film, the director has recently added the two-time Academy Winner, Tom Hanks, to his project as well. This will be the first time that the Forrest Gump actor will be starring in a film by Anderson.

Recently, Anderson’s The French Dispatch, which he has both directed and penned, opened to positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 before its release across theaters on October 22. The film stars Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro, Timothée Chalamet, Adrien Brody, Frances McDormand, Elisabeth Moss, Willem Dafoe, Jeffrey Wright, and Owen Wilson. The Hollywood Reporter has shared that Anderson’s next film, which also stars Swinton, Brody, and Murray, will see Tom Hanks in a small and “cameo-like” role. No further details about the film or the character he will be playing have been released. 

Earlier, Variety had disclosed that the shooting of the film is set to commence in Spain this September. Tilda Swinton has specifically clarified that despite the location of the production, the next Wes Anderson film is not going to be about Spain. Reportedly, the film was originally planned to be shot in Rome but the location was then switched to Spain. Spanish publication El Pais revealed that sets resembling a desert landscape were being constructed in Chinchón, a small town near Madrid but Variety had reported that despite the setup, the film is probably not a western feature.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks was last seen as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in 2020’s News of the World, directed by Paul Greengrass. He played the character of an old Civil War veteran who is living the remaining days of his life by traveling from one town to town, reading newspapers to local residents in exchange for some cents. But his life turns upside down when he comes across a young girl, Johanna (Helena Zengel) who was taken in by the Kiowa tribe and is entrusted with the responsibility of returning her to her last living relative. 

Tom Hanks will be next seen in Apple TV+’s Finch, a sci-fi thriller directed by Miguel Sapochnik, whose release has already been delayed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the film, the actor is playing the titular character, an ailing inventor and one of the last men surviving on Earth who begins a journey across the post-apocalyptic ruins of his country.

This will be followed by the biographical drama, Elvis, helmed by Baz Luhrmann, where Tom Hanks will be seen as Colonel Tom Parker, the talent manager of the legendary Elvis Presley. After Elvis, he will bring to life the fictional character of Geppetto, a kind-hearted elderly wood-carver who creates Pinocchio and raises him as his son, in Robert Zemeckis’ fantasy drama Pinnochio which he is currently filming.