Watch Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers in ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ Trailer (Video)

Drama starring Hanks as children’s host Fred Rogers opens in theaters Nov. 22

Well, that was wonderful. Sony on Monday dropped the first trailer for the drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” that stars Tom Hanks as kids TV icon Mister Rogers.

We’ve seen images of Hanks stepping into the big loafers of Fred Rogers, but in this first full trailer, Hanks steps directly onto the set of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and even nails his inflection perfectly.

Marielle Heller (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) directs the film that’s loosely based on the 1998 Esquire article by journalist Tom Junod, and it’s a story of kindness triumphing over cynicism. The film follows a jaded magazine writer who is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers but is doubtful of Rogers’ optimism. Over time, the two form a friendship and he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.

Matthew Rhys stars as the journalist alongside Hanks and Chris Cooper. The screenplay comes from Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

Heller told Entertainment Weekly that “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” was shot in the original studio in Pittsburgh where “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was filmed and that the crew meticulously recreated the sets from the long-running kids show. They even borrowed items out of Fred Rogers’ wardrobe.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” opens in theaters on Nov. 22. Watch the first full trailer above.

For the record: A previous version of this article said that “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was filmed in Philadelphia, not Pittsburgh. We regret the error.

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