Fresh off a banner year that saw him appear in the acclaimed indiesEighth GradeandVox Lux, up-and-coming actorFred Hechingeris set to joinTom HanksinPaul Greengrass’ period filmNews of the World, Collider has exclusively learned.
Sets in the days before the Civil War,News of the Worldstars Hanks as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, who travels from town to town reading the news to locals, who would otherwise not know what is going on in the world. A set of circumstances lead him to be tasked with escorting an ornery young girl (Helena Zengel) to her aunt and uncle in San Antonio after she’s rescued from the Kiowa Indian tribe who kidnapped her and killed her family. Together, the duo face an inhospitable frontier. Hechinger’s role is being kept under wraps.
Hanks andGary Goetzmanare producingNews of the Worldthrough their Playtone banner withGail Mutruxof Pretty Pictures, as well asGregory Goodman(22 July).LionscribeLuke Daviesadapted the bestselling novel byPaulette Jiles, though Greengrass wrote the latest draft of the script himself. The project was previously set up at Fox 2000, but moved to Universal shortly after Fox was acquired by Disney.
Hechinger (pictured above on the left) is a rising star who recently wrappedJoe Wright’s star-studded thrillerThe Woman in the Window, in which he plays the son of Oscar winnersJulianne MooreandGary Oldman. Hechinger will also soon be seen in the indie dramaHuman Capitalas well as the indie comedyTwo Against Naturefrom power-producerScott Rudin. He previously appeared in the Netflix movieAlex Strangelove, and he’s also among the young ensemble starring inLeigh Janiak’s upcoming adaptation ofR.L. Stine’s belovedFear Streetbooks. Hechinger is represented by Abrams Artists Agency and attorney Ryan LeVine.
Zengel is a relative newcomer herself, and like Hechinger, a discovery for Greengrass. She most recently starred inSystem Crasher, which made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival back in February, and which will represent Germany as that country’s official submission for the newly-renamed Best International Feature Film Oscar.
