Since the COVID-19 global pandemic has shut down not only almost all Hollywood film and television productions, but also most cinemas across the globe, it’s no wonder that many films that were set to premiere this year (the next James Bond instalment, the
Top Gun sequel…) have been pushed to at least 2021. But the trailer for the new Tom Hanks film
News of the World dropped this morning, and it very specifically emphasizes it will open in cinemas on Christmas day, December 25
th. Spread the news (of the world, not the virus)!Set in a post-Civil War America that is rampant with lawlessness, bandits, and outlaws, Tom Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kid, who “moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe.”[video_embed id='1991285']RELATED: Tom Hanks has a blunt message for people who don't wear a mask[/video_embed]But when he encounters a young girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel) who has been raised by Indigenous peoples for six years, he makes it his mission to travel across country to return her to her relatives.The trailer paints a very gritty picture of the film: there’s lots of barren deserts, wagon chases, violent bandits (one tries to “buy” Johanna off of the Captain), gun battles, desolate locations, and desperate villains. Based off of the 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, it also reunites Tom Hanks with his
Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass.
Side note: did you catch all the time Tom Hanks calls himself a captain in the trailer? *Insert “I am the Captain Now” meme*
Variety is reporting that Hanks was specifically moved to pursue this role because of the temerity of the character. ““I love listening to a great story as much as I like telling one, and that’s why I was so excited about playing Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd,” Hanks said. “He is moved by the pursuit of the truth. Kidd wanted to communicate an authentic worldview to his audiences because he knew that, along with education and entertainment, the powers of enlightenment could be exchanged in the news readings that he gave.”“
News of the World is set in a bitterly divided, dangerous world and it is a journey of discovery for both Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd and the girl, Johanna,” director Paul Greengrass added. “Both characters are lost in different ways and are searching for belonging. That is what gives the journey tremendous emotional power.”Fingers crossed this big budget western doesn’t get bumped to 2021 also.[video_embed id='2032101']Before you go: Tom Hanks returns to Australia to continue filming on Elvis biopic[/video_embed]
