Tom Hanks and Director Paul Greengrass Re-Team for “News of the World”
Director Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks delivered one of the more riveting films of the early 2010s with 2013’s Captain Phillips, which took on the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking of the MV Maersk Alabama, which he captained, by Somali pirates. It was the first hijacking of an American cargo ship in 200-years, and in Greengrass and Hanks’ hands, Captain Phillips retold that story in a taut, breathtaking way. Now the duo is back with a very different kind of film—News of the World—which sees Hanks playing a very different kind of captain. Universal has released a brand new, fulsome trailer that reveals Greengrass and Hanks’ sweeping western.
News of the World centers on the story of Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks), a Civil War veteran trying to take a 10-year-old Johanna (Helena Zengel) to her aunt and uncle. Johanna was taken by the Kiowa people years ago and was raised as one of their own. Now Kidd tries to reunite her with her family, embarking on a perilous journey across a harsh landscape. Johanna isn’t eager to go on the journey to begin with, and the dangers awaiting them as they travel are numerous.
Greengrass assembled a great crew for this film, including costume designer Mark Bridges, composer James Newton Howard, and DP Dariusz Wolski.
News of the World is slated for a Christmas Day theatrical release (we’ll see if this sticks), but for now, check out the trailer for yourself.
Here’s the synopsis from Universal Pictuers:
Five years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks), a veteran of three wars, now 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.
In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna (Helena Zengel, System Crasher), a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own. Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will.
Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place that either can call home.
News of the World is directed by Greengrass (the Bourne films, United 93) from his screenplay with Luke Davies (Lion), based on the National Book Award finalist and best-selling novel by Paulette Jiles. The film is produced by Gary Goetzman (Mamma Mia! franchise, Greyhound), Gail Mutrux (The Danish Girl, Donnie Brasco) and Gregory Goodman (22 July, 8 Mile). The executive producers are Steven Shareshian and Tore Schmidt. The film’s music is by eight-time Academy Award® nominee James Newton Howard.
Featured image: (from left) Johanna Leonberger (Helena Zengel) and Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) in News of the World, co-written and directed by Paul Greengrass. Photo Credit: Bruce Talamon/Universal Pictures
