Tom Hanks, the man who got COVID-19 so the world would start taking it seriously, returns to this theaters this Christmas—maybe, obviously—with News Of The World, a dusty period piece about an orating, old-timey journalist. Today, following a Vanity Piece preview packed with photos, Universal Studios has shared its first look at Paul Greengrass’ unique spin on the traditional Western.
Greengrass, who previously collaborated with Hanks on Captain Phillips, adapted the story from Paulette Jiles’ best-selling book alongside Lion screenwriter Luke Davies. It tells the story of Captain Jefferson Kidd, who stages one-man shows throughout Texas that unpack real events unfolding throughout the world. “When the fabric of society is in tatters, you’ve got a character in Kidd, who in his lonely, singular, small way is a thread who connects one community to another,” Greengrass told Vanity Fair.
Though set in 1870, the film reflects our current society’s struggles with what constitutes real and fake news in a post-truth era. “Even though it’s set then, it’s a film about our times,” he said. “Neighbors and families and communities were in stark and often violent conflict with each other, and Americans needed to decide who they were as Americans.”
He continues: “Information was suspect. The world was filled with division, loss, economic hardship. The world was filled with rumors and false narratives. Audiences were never sure whom they could trust to tell them the truth.”
Well, you can always trust Hanks. Watch the teaser below.
News Of The World, which also stars Mare Winningham and Elizabeth Marvel, is slated to hit theaters on Christmas Day.