When looking for the performer to carry the title of the hardest working man in show business, Tom Hanks could be a viable candidate. A pair of trailers for upcoming films starring two-time Oscar winner display Hanks' versatility as an actor and his willingness to take on off-beat roles.
A Wooden Boy: Hanks plays Gepetto, the kindly old Italian woodcarver, in the Walt Disney Co.'s (NYSE:DIS) new live-action version of its 1940 animated masterwork "Pinocchio." Hanks is seen wearing an unruly white wig and heavy white mustache, and he kicks off the film's story by making a twilight wish on a star that brings about the Blue Fairy (played by Cynthia Ervio).
The trailer shows CGI versions of the Jiminy Cricket and the villainous Honest John and Giddy characters, but Pinocchio himself is conspicuously absent from view. The Robert Zemeckis-directed film is not scheduled for a theatrical release, but is instead planned for a Disney+ streaming premiere on Sept. 8.
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A Hip-Shaking Singer: Hanks can also be seen in the new trailer for Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis," playing the controversial Col. Tom Parker, who managed Elvis Presley's rise to stardom but was later blamed by many for exploiting and nearly wrecking his star client's career.
Hanks takes on a slight accent to capture the distinctive speaking voice of the Dutch-born Parker, an illegal immigrant whose real name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk.
"Elvis" premiered to a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival last month, although some critics voice disapproval of the make-up and costuming used to transform Hanks into the portly Parker. Warner Bros. (NASDAQ:WBD) is planning a June 24 theatrical opening.
Photo: Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker and Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in "Elvis," courtesy of Warner Bros.
