Tom Hanks is set to return to the Pittsburgh region to film another project after having portrayed the late Fred Rogers in the 2019 “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
The U.S. adaptation of “A Man Called Ove” will film in Western Pennsylvania this year, Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer confirmed. The film will be directed by Marc Forster, whose previous works include “Finding Neverland,” “World War Z” and “The Kite Runner,” according to Deadline Hollywood.
Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner, will star in and produce the English-language adaptation of the 2015 Swedish comedy based on the best-selling 2012 novel by Fredrik Backman. He will play the role of a ”cranky retired man (who) strikes up an unlikely friendship with his boisterous new neighbors,” according to IMDB.com.
Backman’s novel has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for 77 consecutive weeks, Deadline Hollywood reported.
Marc Forster To Direct Tom Hanks In ‘A Man Called Ove’ With SF Studios, Rita Wilson & Playtone Producing David Magee Script https://t.co/etamhG3Q9G
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) January 18, 2022
Hanks has been linked to the project since 2017.
The story “centers on a cantankerous widower who seems to revel in his bitterness and loneliness even as his frequent attempts at suicide seem to be thwarted by bad timing and bad luck,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote when the project was first announced more than four years ago. “His life, however, takes a turn toward the unexpected when a mixed-race couple with two young daughters move into the neighborhood, leading to a heartwarming and life-affirming friendship.”
The Swedish film earned two Academy Award nominations in 2017 and was the highest-grossing foreign-language film in the U.S. in 2016.
Hanks will produce the film under his Playtone banner with partner Gary Goetzman. Other producers include Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, and Fredrik Wikstrom Nicastro of Sweden-based production company SF Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I strongly believe that ‘A Man Called Ove’ is a universal story that resonates strongly with an American and international audience,” Nicastro said in a statement in 2017. “Making this film with one of the world’s best and most acclaimed actors gives ‘A Man Called Ove’ the best possible opportunity to once again touch the hearts of audiences worldwide.”
“This story about love, tolerance and hope amplifies the qualities in movies that are hallmarks of the classic films we know and love. ‘A Man Called Ove’ transcended the language barrier to touch readers and audiences in ways we long for,” Wilson added.
Other films produced by Hanks’ Playtone include “Cast Away,” “The Polar Express,” “Mama Mia!” and “News of the World.”
