By and large, when Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks unite for a project, it’s reason to be excited. From Saving Private Ryan and The Terminal in film circles to the war-torn dramas of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the pair have produced some truly memorable entertainment over the years. For their latest collaboration, Spielberg and Hanks are tackling the Oscar-tipped Cold War drama, Bridge of Spies.
Set in a time when the heightened tensions between the United States and USSR were teetering toward a global catastrophe, Hanks will step into the shoes of Brooklyn lawyer James Donovan, who must accomplish a seemingly insurmountable mission in freeing captured U2 pilot Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). After careering into Russian airspace, it wasn’t long before Powers’ aircraft was shot down out of the sky, leaving the American pilot in the hands of the Soviet Union.
For Hanks’ do-gooder, negotiating his release will involve brokering a deal with Rudolf Abel, a suspected KGB spy who turns out to be Donovan’s only option, despite the best interest of the American military and his family. Based on a script from Joel and Ethan Coen, Mark Rylance, Scott Shepherd, Amy Ryan, Sebastian Koch, and Alan Alda will round out the cast.
Bridge of Spies will see Tom Hanks go behind enemy lines when Spielberg’s Cold War drama opens on November 6.
A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, DreamWorks Pictures/Fox 2000 Pictures’ “Bridge of Spies” tells the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Screenwriters Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen have woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.