Tom Hanks has seemingly done it all in the movie business – but this is the first time he’s saddled up and put on some spurs.
The new trailer for News of the World sees Hanks take his first foray into the Western genre, playing Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd as he looks to deliver an orphaned girl to her relatives in a story based on the 2016 Paulette Jiles novel.
While Hanks is heading into the Frontier for the first time, there are several thematic elements and surroundings that will make the likes of True Grit fans and even Deadwood viewers feel a little twinge of nostalgia. Kidd’s news articles are the sign of a fledgling civilization out West – despite all the danger that appears to follow Hanks throughout the trailer.
On his role, Hanks said: “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. He is a storyteller, he is driven, emotional, he is noble, and 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 legendary actor is similarly effusive about his co-star, 12-year-old actor Helena Zengel, who plays Johanna. “I cannot stress enough the incredible power of young Helena Zengel. I believe actors are born. You can’t learn how to be an actor, you just are. Her silences, her eyes, her instincts—she may have no sense of what the rules of acting are, yet she already knows them implicitly,” Hanks said.
News of the World is set for release in cinemas on December 25 in the US and January 1, 2021 in the UK. In the meantime, check out the other must-see movies coming to cinemas.
