MOVIES: A first look at Tom Hanks as 'Mister Rogers'

What a well-timed tweet this one was, from Sony Pictures today during the worst day on Capitol Hill ever.

Tom Hanks is Mister Rogers, coming to a neighborhood near you October 2019.

Here's the first look image of Hanks as Fred Rogers, publicly released for the first time today with that tweet:

Variety first reported in January that Hanks would play Rogers in TriStar Pictures biographical drama, with production starting this month.

The film is based on the true story of the friendship between the Mister Rogers Neighborhood host and journalist Tom Junod. In the movie, Matthew Rhys (The Americans) plays Junod, a jaded magazine writer who is reluctantly assigned to profile Rogers. He ends up being so moved by Rogers kindness and empathy that he overcomes his skepticism and has a renewed look on life.

The movie is the second in recent months to focus on Rogers, with the hit documentary Wont You Be My Neighbor? released in June.