When Tom Hanks teamed up with Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips, the results were pretty extraordinary – an incredibly tense true-life tale with an astonishing performance from an American icon, particularly in the knockout final minutes of the film. Now, the star and director have re-teamed for Greengrass’ next movie News Of The World – nothing to do with the former British tabloid, but a tale at least in part about newspapers. It’s set after the American Civil War, and casts Hanks as a veteran who goes from town to town regaling stories from across the world from his stack of newspapers – and takes on the task of returning 10-year-old girl Johanna (Helena Zengel) to her biological parents. Watch the trailer here.
In these uncertain times, doesn’t this look like a bit of Tom Hanks-ian warmth and certainty (with a dash of adventure and peril) that we all need right now? Greengrass – in his first film since 2018’s 22 July – directs from a screenplay by Luke Davies, adapted from Paulette Jiles’ book. And if this looks like the filmmaker’s first real Western, it also chimes nicely with his penchant for telling global stories – with a film about a guy who makes it his mission to spread global stories himself. And then, of course, there's the fact that Greengrass used to be a journalist in another life.
Now, the question of when this one is due to come out. As it currently stands News Of The World is expected to arrive in UK cinemas from 1 January 2021, following a Christmas Day arrival in the USA. Stay tuned for more updates on that front as the current cinema situation continues. In Hanks we trust.