You Are My Friend | |
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Directed by | Marielle Heller |
Screenplay by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jody Lee Lipes |
Production company | |
Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
You Are My Friend is an upcoming American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The film stars Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys and Chris Cooper. It will be released on October 18, 2019 by TriStar Pictures.
An award-winning cynical journalist, Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys) begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write a Esquire profile piece on the beloved television icon Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) and Junod's perspective on life transformed after his encounter with Rogers.[1]
On January 29, 2018, it was announced that Sony's TriStar Pictures had bought the worldwide distribution rights to the film You Are My Friend, a biographical film based on a 1998 Esquire magazine article about television personality Fred Rogers, who would be played by Tom Hanks.[2] The film's script by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster appeared among the 2013 Black List of best unproduced screenplays and it would be directed by Marielle Heller, while producers would be Big Beach's Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf along with Youree Henley.[2] In July 2018, Matthew Rhys joined the cast of the film to play the journalist Tom Junod, with production set to start in September 2018.[3] In August 2018, Chris Cooper was added to the cast to play Junod's father,[4] and in September, Susan Kelechi Watson was added.[5]
Principal photography on the film began mid-September 2018 in Pittsburgh, which was converted into New York City.[6]
On October 12, 2018, a sound mixer fell from the 2nd-story balcony and had a heart attack. He was taken to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Mercy, where he was pronounced dead.[7]
You Are My Friend is scheduled to be released on October 18, 2019 by TriStar Pictures.[8]