A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood: Tom Hanks Is Mr. Rogers In First Trailer

Tom Hanks is donning Mr. Rogers' signature red sweater in the first trailer for the upcoming biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Directed by lauded director Marielle Heller (whose latest project Can You Ever Forgive Me? snagged several Oscar nominations), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood focuses on a particular era of Rogers' life — specifically, his friendship with journalist Lloyd Vogel (The Americans' Matthew Rhys), who wrote a feature on Rogers for Esquire in 1998. 

As Vogel befriends the television icon, he starts to face his own demons and learn more about himself, aided by Mr. Rogers and his thoughtful guidance. Alongside Hanks and Rhys, the cast is rounded out by big names like Chris Cooper (American Beauty), Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars), and more.

Performing out of Pittsburgh, Fred Rogers — who went by Mr. Rogers on his acclaimed children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood – is still regarded as one of the most inspiring and kindly public figures of all time, instilling self-love and self-esteem in his young viewers by ending each show with the same quote: "You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are." A shy and troubled child, Rogers channeled his own anxieties into song and performance, eventually becoming one of the most comforting presences in pop culture history.

When you think of Mr. Rogers, you probably think of other beloved figures, so there's no better choice to play Rogers than Tom Hanks, one of the most legitimately likable people in all of Hollywood. Pair that perfect bit of casting with direction by Heller — who has proven her skill at showing the humanity, pathos, and good in each person (even with Melissa McCarthy's unscrupulous lead in Can You Ever Forgive Me?) — the film is sure to tug at even the toughest heartstrings.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood will be released on November 22, so dust off your cardigans and get ready to be transported back to your childhood this fall.