Not even Tom Hanks is immune to the recent trend of toys becoming the basis of feature films. Sure, he’s played a fictional toy in the Pixar franchise, “Toy Story,” but according to a new Variety report, the Oscar-winning actor is taking on a new Paramount film based on the forgotten ‘60s action figure, Major Matt Mason.
Hanks has reportedly agreed to star in the upcoming film based on the astronaut toy Major Matt Mason, which will be written by Akiva Goldsman and based on a short story from Michael Chabon. No word on the actual plot of the Major Matt Mason film, but the ‘60s toy line featured the title character during the height of the space race, as he lived and operated on the moon with his various allies, including some aliens. Obviously, Hanks would star as Mason.
Goldsman has previously had a number of successful collaborations with Hanks, as the screenwriter penned films such as “The Da Vinci Code” and its sequel “Angels and Demons.” The writer has won an Oscar for his work on the film “A Beautiful Mind.” Most recently, he’s been dabbling in TV production, as one of the writers/producers of “Titans” and “Star Trek: Discovery.”
Hanks has already had a pretty great year with the monster success of “Toy Story 4,” which reached $1 billion at the box office. Next, he’s set to star in the upcoming “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which is receiving great reviews out of TIFF and could mean Oscar buzz. On the docket in the upcoming year or so, Hanks is set to star in the film “Greyhound,” as well as Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic and the adaptation of the best-selling novel “The Man Called Ove.”
There’s no word on when production might begin on the Major Matt Mason film starring Hanks.