Palisadian Tom Hanks to Star in ‘Here’

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Palisadian Tom Hanks has taken on a starring role in the film “Here,” adapted from Richard McGuire’s eponymous novel, set to release on Friday, November 1.

The film reunites the director, writer and stars of “Forrest Gump,” with director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis, co-writer Eric Roth, starring Hanks and Robin Wright—all of whom collaborated on the 1994 film.

“Here” is described as a “generational story about families and the special place they inhabit, sharing in love, loss, laughter and life,” according to IMDb. The characters traverse through age and time throughout the film.

Zemeckis explained that “Here” follows a single perspective that never changes, but everything around it does, similar to a traditional playhouse experience.

“It’s actually never been done before,” Zemeckis said to Vanity Fair. “There are similar scenes in very early silent movies, before the language of montage was invented. But other than that, yeah, it was a risky venture”

Zemeckis said he mused the idea of adapting McGuire’s 2014’s novel “Here” with Hanks on set of Disney’s “Pinocchio” while they were in London: “That night, Tom went home, bought the book on Kindle, and came back the next morning and said, ‘My God, that’s it. That’s the one.’

In September, the American Film Institute announced that the world premiere of “Here” was selected as the Centerpiece Gala at this year’s AFI Fest. The film will debut at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Friday, October 25.

“Robert Zemeckis is, first and foremost, a master storyteller and, uniquely, one who has spent a lifetime utilizing the latest technologies to tell the human story,” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “‘Here’ presents a profoundly powerful emotional experience while also bringing the art of film into the future.”

AFI will honor Zemeckis with a Directors Spotlight on Thursday, October 24.

“AFI serves as a valued institution in the important preservation and celebration of motion pictures, and it is an honor to premiere ‘Here’ at AFI Fest,” Zemeckis said. “I hope audiences will enjoy the film as much as Tom, Robin, Eric and I loved reuniting to bring this story to the screen.”

“Here” has a runtime of one hour and 44 minutes, and a PG-13 rating.