A Man Called Otto (Tom Hanks)

[Darth Marcus]

Source: Deadline

Tom Hanks To Star In ‘A Man Called Ove’ Remake
by Mike Fleming Jr - September 21, 2017 10:00am

Tom Hanks is attached to star in a remake of A Man Called Ove, the Oscar nominated Hannes Holm-directed Swedish comedy that became the highest grossing foreign language film released in the U.S. in 2016. Pic will be produced by Playtone partners Hanks and Gary Goetzman, along with Rita Wilson and Fredrik Wikström Nicastro for Nordic major SF Studios.

Hanks will play the protagonist, a grumpy widower whose overall unhappiness is exacerbated when he is unceremoniously dumped as chairman of the neighborhood association where he lives. Pushed into retirement in his job on top of all else, Ove gives up and resolves to commit suicide. Every attempt is interrupted by some circumstance that leads him to help a needy neighbor. In the process, Ove develops new relationships that lead him on an unusual journey of introspection and caring for others, even if he never gives up on his attempts to end it all. Pic won Best Comedy prize at the European Film Awards in 2016. It is based on Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel.

“I strongly believe that A Man Called Ove is a universal story that resonates strongly with an American and international audience,” Nicastro said. “Making this film with one of the world’s best and most acclaimed actors gives A Man Called Ove the best possible opportunity to once again touch the hearts of audiences worldwide.” It’s part of an SF Studios attempt to produce English language films for the global market, sourced from Nordic IP and talent. That includes the Janus Metz-directed Borg/McEnroe, which premiered at Toronto, and will be followed by: Horizon Line, a thriller by 10 Cloverfield Lane scribes Josh Campbell & Matt Stuecken, and the Jo Nesbo novel adaptation I Am Victor, which Baltasar Kormakur will direct from script by 007 writers Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.

“This story about love, tolerance and hope amplifies the qualities in movies that are hallmarks of the classic films we know and love,” comments Rita Wilson.

Hanks next stars in the Steven Spielberg-directed The Post, playing Ben Bradlee to Meryl Streep’s Kay Graham as the Washington Post navigated the leak of the Pentagon Papers. The New York Times was prohibited from continuing its publication of the classified documents that showed Americans were not being told the truth about troop buildup in Vietnam, or the fact that the country was mired in an unwinnable war. The Washington Post took the baton and played a key role in ensuring the Pentagon Papers were made public. Pic was mounted as a DreamWorks and Fox co-production, with the latter releasing January 12 after the picture qualifies for Oscars. Hanks is repped by CAA.

[esteban²]

I love Tom Hanks, an extremely likeable man he is. But for this specific role, I honestly believe there are a lot of other choices that would fit better. A lot. Hanks his face is too friendly by nature and he doesn't look old enough. Oh well, I'll watch it anyway.

[civiclx]

Originally Posted by esteban²

I love Tom Hanks, an extremely likeable man he is. But for this specific role, I honestly believe there are a lot of other choices that would fit better. A lot. Hanks his face is too friendly by nature and he doesn't look old enough. Oh well, I'll watch it anyway.

That's why I'd be interested in seeing how he does. I have not seen the original but I'd like to. Let's see what grumpy Tom Hanks looks like!

[esteban²]

Also true. There's a good chance Hanks will surprise us.

Now that I think about it: It might be a good idea to have Colin Hanks for the many flashback scenes, that would be perfect.

[Darth Marcus]

Source: Deadline

Marc Forster To Direct Tom Hanks In ‘A Man Called Ove’ With SF Studios, Rita Wilson & Playtone Producing David Magee Script
Andreas Wiseman - January 18, 2022

EXCLUSIVE: Finding Neverland, World War Z and The Kite Runner director Marc Forster has been set to direct Oscar winner Tom Hanks in the anticipated U.S. adaptation of Swedish comedy hit A Man Called Ove, we can reveal.

Two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (Life Of Pi) is scripting the project and re-uniting with Forster after their collaboration on acclaimed drama Finding Neverland, for which both were BAFTA nominated.

Production is due to begin this year on the feature which has been in the works for a few years and is based on the Swedish hit novel by Fredrik Backman. The life affirming comedy about love and unexpected friendships sold more than seven million copies worldwide and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for 77 consecutive weeks at the time of its release.

The novel was subsequently adapted for the big screen by SF Studios and released in 2015, garnering two Oscar nominations. The charming pic was the highest-grossing foreign language film in the U.S. in 2016.

Fredrik Wikström Nicastro of Nordic major SF Studios is producing with Rita Wilson (Mamma Mia!), and Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. Forster will serve as executive producer alongside Renée Wolfe via their production company 2DUX2.

Screen icon Hanks is in production on Apple series Masters Of The Air, Robert Zemeckis’s Pinocchio, Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Biz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.

Forster stated: “When I first read Fredrik Backman’s novel, I fell in love with the notion that friendship has the power to shape a person’s life. I can’t wait to create a film with so much humor and heart alongside Tom and Rita.”

Rita Wilson commented: “Fredrik Backman wrote a novel that has entertained, moved and inspired countless readers through his character of “Ove”. The humanity of the story has resonated with people all over the world, including myself. I have always looked for films that bring people joy and, hopefully, create a common experience of recognizing ourselves in others. It’s an honor to be producing this movie and to be bringing it to audiences everywhere.”

SF Studios is in the works on projects including Swedish film adaption The Emigrants, the Danish epic drama Margrete Queen of the North, the Norwegian feature film Quisling and the Swedish original series Snabba Cash for Netflix. Previous international releases include Borg vs. McEnroe starring Sverrir Gudnasson and Stellan Skarsgård and the thriller Horizon Line starring Allison Williams and Alexander Dreymon.

Fredrik Wikström added: “Marc has made many films we love. His unique ability to tell human stories that strongly connect with audiences, makes him the perfect filmmaker to helm this beloved story. We couldn´t be more excited to have him and David Magee on board – bringing their magic to screens again, following their successful collaboration on Finding Neverland.”

Michael Porseryd, CEO at SF Studios said: “Both the novel and the Swedish film adaptation of A Man Called Ove were huge successes due to the poignant and timeless story of love, loss, family and friendships. To now have the opportunity to create a US adaptation with this high calibre of cast, producers and the incredibly versatile and skilled Marc Forster at the helm is a dream! It is a fantastic milestone for SF Studios in our 102-year history as a film studio.”

[unberechenbar]

This is supposed to release on December 14 from Sony.

[Pieter V]

A MAN CALLED OTTO - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube

[joshsquash729]

It looks....cute? But also kinda....bad? But like it could be good? I don't know. It's hard to discern the tone from the trailer. I agree that Hanks may not have been the best choice for the role.

[BluVinyl]

The trailer looked like it could be good or bad. I'll probably rent it because Tom Hanks is in it. It did spur me to look at a trailer for the original movie, which I will try and track down to watch.

[BluBonnet]

Perhaps not unexpectedly, A Man Called Otto plays it very safe and sticks quite closely to the original Swedish film.

Most viewers won't have seen the original movie and probably won't care. There's something at the core of the story here that probably can work quite well for most viewers even though everything has been thoroughly Americanized.

The most welcome addition is the fresh faces that round out the supporting cast, and I was particularly pleased with the performances by Mariana Treviño and Mack Bayda, who bring some welcome spark to the proceedings. The movie wouldn't work quite so well without them.

[unberechenbar]

Watched this today in a fairly full theater and enjoyed it. The crowd was mostly older people but I did see some teenagers. Some nice humor but also darker than I expected. Honestly I didn't know the term "social media journalist" was a thing.

[Show spoiler]Did Otto actually hit the clown? I thought he just grabbed him while trying to get his quarter back. Or maybe that part wasn't shown on camera.

The ending was touching. I'm kind of curious about the dishes mentioned in the movie.

[Bubbles-11]

Pre-order for the Blu-ray is up on Amazon, no UHD

[Hedrox]

Sorry to bump this dead thread needlessly, but it's pretty funny how they used different poster taglines for the US and International versions.



I guess for Americans, America is bigger than the entire World. So which is it Sony? is he the grumpiest man in America or the World?

[rocklobster]

Wife and I saw it the weekend it came out. It was a good watch. I obviously think they snuck in the limited release before 2022 ended on the off-chance that Hanks could catch some Oscar buzz (he didn't), but overall the film was well-executed in my eyes.

Forster was a good choice for this, nothing was groundbreaking, but everything was just well done all the way through. Yeah, there are emotional beats that you should see coming, but they don't hit you any less when they arrive.

Solid film, will buy and add to the collection when it comes out.

[McGarnigal]

I live two blocks from his neighborhood and walk or drive by everyday. It was very surreal

[JimRochester]

Saw this today and found it a very good watch. B+. They had to be very careful with Hanks being such a grump and hating everyone. Too much hate, people would no longer care for the character. It never got to that point, at least for me. Mariana Trevino was tremendous bringing humanity back to the character. The ending was very touching.

[PatrynXX]

Originally Posted by esteban²

I love Tom Hanks, an extremely likeable man he is. But for this specific role, I honestly believe there are a lot of other choices that would fit better. A lot. Hanks his face is too friendly by nature and he doesn't look old enough. Oh well, I'll watch it anyway.

Too young poorly miscast and most of the fans of the book prefer the original movie... Michael Cain could have easily pulled this one up. Cause he can play grumpy like Second hand Lions

[Ravenclaw]

Originally Posted by PatrynXX

Too young poorly miscast and most of the fans of the book prefer the original movie... Michael Cain could have easily pulled this one up. Cause he can play grumpy like Second hand Lions

Ove is 59 in the book isn’t he? Hanks is nowhere near to young. I think both movies have their faults. The original goes too fast, but manages to fit in a lot more backstory. The new one takes its time, but omits the father. I think they, together, make the perfect adaptation.

[MazeRunner]

52 days in release and still no sign of digital? Impressive.

[ctujackbauer]

Saw it for the Sony Rewards points, ended up being touched by the story and impressed.

This is probably the third time I've seen Tom Hanks do something just slightly different than his normal role (Road to Perdition and Forrest Gump are the other 2) and ended up really enjoying the movie. A small scale story with some pretty dark themes and situations combined with some heartfelt comedic lines.

I went in as blind as a bat and didn't know Marc Forster directed it until the title credits. I do wish they could have cut down on the amount of flashbacks though.

4.5 / 5