Tom Hanks Turns to Writing

Tom Hanks has only four movies that he considers to be “pretty good” after over thirty years in Hollywood.

The Academy Award winner, whose film credits include Forrest Gump and Elvis, has revealed his next book, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, which will be released on May 9, 2023. The fictional novel tells about the production of a superhero movie that cost several million dollars and the comic book that served as its inspiration.

Hanks said, “No one knows how a movie is made though everyone thinks they do. I’ve made a ton of movies (and four of them are pretty good, I think), and I’m still amazed at how films come together. From a flicker of an idea to the flickering image on screen, the whole process is a miracle.”

He added that “movie-making is very hard work over a very long period of time that consists of so many moments of joy slapped up against an equal number of feelings of self-loathing. It is the greatest job in the world and the most confounding of labors that I know of.”

Characters in the book include a damaged soldier returning from battle, a youngster with creative talent, an imaginative and quirky director, a pompous film star on the rise, and a tireless production assistant.

Tom Hanks’ Book to Be Released on May 9, 2023

The book authored by Tom Hanks is slated to be released by Penguin Random House (PRH) on May 9, 2023 in both the UK and the US.

Forrest Gump is likely among his top four “pretty good” movies, Hanks says. He revealed that the idea for a potential sequel was dropped almost immediately after the popularity of the first movie.

The Hollywood actor said, “I will say that with a long time in between, we did take a stab at talking about another Forrest Gump that lasted all of 40 minutes. [But] then we never…we said, ‘Guys, come on.’”

Working on Hanks’ first book, according to Ailah Ahmed, publishing director at Hutchinson Heinemann, the PRH company that is releasing the book in the UK, was “a publisher’s dream come true.”

She added that “the fact that he has written an epic about ordinary people in a rather extraordinary world, and one that is thoughtful, poignant and hugely entertaining is icing on the cake.”

Hanks’ book of short stories titled Uncommon Type was centered around his ancient typewriter collection. According to PRH, the book has so far sold 234,000 copies in the UK.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Become Honorary Greek Citizens

In 2020 the Greek government granted Hanks and Wilson citizenship citing their “exceptional services to Greece.” The pair brought massive media attention and resources especially about the devastating wildfires of July 2018.

Wilson is Greek-American, and Hanks is an active part of the Greek Orthodox Church to which he has converted. Hanks often speaks about his love for Greece and the Greek people, as he considers himself a huge Hellenophile.