Breaking the fourth wall with relative ease, Tom Hanks’ astute businessman headlines the first full trailer for A Hologram for the King – “Sometimes you have to change your scenery… to change your life.”
And that’s exactly what Hanks’ lead does. Playing up the fish-out-of-water dynamic, today’s English-language snippet ships our lead character off to Saudi Arabia in order to negotiate a lucrative deal. Meeting with a wealthy monarch, the idea is to pitch a technology that would allow for, well, A Hologram for the King.
Reuniting with Cloud Atlas director Tom Tykwer – he co-directed the time-spanning adaptation alongside the Wachowski siblings – Tom Hanks’ latest is a far cry from sprawling science fiction. Mind you, it’s a fellow adaptation, this time lifted from Dave Eggers’ novel of the same name.
Putting a comfortable life behind him and diving into the harsh world of international commerce, Hanks will be joined in the film by Tom Skerritt and Homeland’s Sarita Choudhury, with the remainder of the cast being rounded out by Alexander Black, Tracey Fairaway, David Menkin and Sidse Babett Knudsen. Whether A Hologram for the King would gain similar traction without Tom Hanks’ name on the docket is another question, but color us intrigued nonetheless.
Roadside Attractions will debut A Hologram for the King via limited release on April 22.
