Marielle Heller, the director of `The Diary of a Teenage Girl` and last year`s Oscar-nominated `Can You Ever Forgive Me?` is back with her third feature film `A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood `. The movie stars Tom Hanks as the eponymous television icon Fred Rogers.

In a conversation with IMDB, the director Marielle Heller talked about the process of getting Tom Hanks for her movie. Heller met the two-time Oscar-winning actor at Colin Hanks`(Tom`s son) kid`s birthday party. Tom Hanks and Heller bonded over a New York Times article about women directors (of which Heller was a part of.)

Heller recalled her difficult experiences in regards to getting Tom Hanks , as the actor had already played `real people` (Walt Disney in `Saving Mr. Banks and Captain Sully in `Sully`) Heller, however insisted on getting Tom Hanks as she believed "Tom Hanks was perfect for this part. So let me just give it a try.`` And rest as we all know, is movie history!

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`A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ` played last night at the Toronto International Film festival and has already received praise for Tom Hank`s portrayal of Fred Rogers. The actor could very well catapult back into the Oscar race after 16 years, having previously won the coveted statue twice for `Forest Gump` (1994) and `Philadelphia` (1993).

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ` is written by Micah Fitzerman- Blue and Noah Harpster and directed by Marielle Heller and stars Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, Tammy Blanchard, Enrico Colantoni, and Maryann Plunkett.

`Based on a true story, `A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ` is about an award-winning cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) who grudgingly accepts an assignment to write an Esquire profile of the beloved television icon Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks). Soon, Vogel`s perspective on life is transformed after his encounter with Rogers.

Backed by Sony Pictures, the film is set for a November 22, 2019 release date.