Won’t you be his neighbour? Tom Hanks to play Mister Rogers

NEW YORK — It’s a beautiful day in this neighbourhood for Tom Hanks, who’ll star as Mister Rogers in the upcoming biopic “You Are My Friend.”

TriStar Pictures announced Monday it has acquired worldwide rights to the film, to be directed by “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” filmmaker Marielle Heller.

The film will focus on the friendship between the host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and journalist Tom Junod. Junod reluctantly agreed to profile Fred Rogers only to find “his perspective on life transformed.”

Production will begin in September, with a 2019 release expected.

The role will surely add to the America’s Dad image of Hanks, who gave a very Rogers-like opening monologue while hosting “Saturday Night Live” before the 2016 presidential election, swapping his jacket for a sweater and giving America a pep talk.

Rogers died in 2003 at age 74.