Tristar Pictures announced that the 61-year-old actor is set to play Fred Rogers aka Mr. Rogers in a biopic about the life of children’s TV icon, star of the show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, which ran for 31 seasons, from 1968 until 2011.

The project is directed by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) and based on a script penned by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (Transparent). Heller told Variety that she is “thrilled to be making” the film.

“The script knocked me out with its message of kindness and its exploration of the human spirit. As a mother, I am so inspired by the teachings of Fred Rogers and as a human, I am in awe of his life’s work. I can’t wait to bring his story to the public and be a part of such a thoughtful, smart group of people who are all coming together to make this film, which truly feels to me like an antidote to our very fractured culture.”

The film is inspired by Rogers’ real-life friendship with journalist Tom Junod, an assignment that ended up in a classic 1998 Esquire profile. Junod tweeted about the news saying, however, that the film is “very loosely” based on his Esquire story.

Rogers’ Emmy-nominated series was one of the longest-running children’s shows of all time. Seems fit that it’ll Hanks who was chosen to pay homage to one of America’s truly good real-life figures.

The Fred Rogers profile which inspired the movie to be made with Tom Hanks was the cover story of our "Heroes" issue. And the best thing about today's news is that Hanks wants Fred to be understood as a hero of his time — meaning our time, right now.https://t.co/IWhQpQxCR5

— Tom Junod (@TomJunod) January 29, 2018

It is finally happening, and in the best of ways: a movie, very loosely based on the article I wrote for @Esquire 20 years ago, with Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, two innovative screenwriters from "Transparency" scripting, and Marielle Heller directing. Well-timed, for this moment. https://t.co/JWsOCmL6XB

— Tom Junod (@TomJunod) January 29, 2018

The post Tom Hanks Set to Play Mister Rogers in Upcoming Biopic appeared first on OMG Check It Out !.

“That was just a one-off accident, and it was a mistake on my part,” he told the magazine. “I should have pulled over and gone to sleep instead of battling my way home. But I learned from it. It was a blessing in disguise. I came out unscathed, and I thank God that I’m OK – it could have been a lot worse.”

The Riverdale star reportedly fell asleep while driving after midnight. Fortunately the actor was unharmed, but the incident made the cast and crew start to plan about better filming conditions.

“The schedule didn’t change,” the 20-year-old actor said. “It’s still a requirement for the actors to drive to work, which is fair enough. The crew works longer than we do, and they have to drive back and forth to work every day.”

A source told ET that some Riverdale stars “routinely drive themselves from the city of Vancouver, where they reside, to the set located at least an hour away in a suburb.” While actor Luke Perry has transportation provided by production, the source reported that the show’s younger stars do not.

“It is believed these accidents are happening because the actors are too tired after working long hours to drive themselves,” the source said.

Apa told Esquire, “It puts things in perspective for actors on other shows; when you’re driving home, you’ve got to be mindful and make sure your mind’s right and that you’re not tired.”

“I was really lucky the production was there for me and helped me the whole way, which made me feel looked after,” he continued.

Currently the actor is focusing on finishing the second half of Riverdale season two. He goes to the gym every day to “maintain a pretty tight physique” because of his shirtless scenes and because “it takes a lot of stress out of stuff.”

“It’s a long season. We’re doing 22 episodes in season two, and we’re about halfway through now. It’s crazy to think that right now last year we were finished. To think that we have 11 more episodes is a lot and overwhelming,” he shared.

The post “Riverdale” Star KJ Apa On His Car Accident After 14-Hour Work Day appeared first on OMG Check It Out !.

Tristar Pictures announced that the 61-year-old actor is set to play Fred Rogers aka Mr. Rogers in a biopic about the life of children’s TV icon, star of the show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, which ran for 31 seasons, from 1968 until 2011.

The project is directed by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) and based on a script penned by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (Transparent). Heller told Variety that she is “thrilled to be making” the film.

“The script knocked me out with its message of kindness and its exploration of the human spirit. As a mother, I am so inspired by the teachings of Fred Rogers and as a human, I am in awe of his life’s work. I can’t wait to bring his story to the public and be a part of such a thoughtful, smart group of people who are all coming together to make this film, which truly feels to me like an antidote to our very fractured culture.”

The film is inspired by Rogers’ real-life friendship with journalist Tom Junod, an assignment that ended up in a classic 1998 Esquire profile. Junod tweeted about the news saying, however, that the film is “very loosely” based on his Esquire story.

Rogers’ Emmy-nominated series was one of the longest-running children’s shows of all time. Seems fit that it’ll Hanks who was chosen to pay homage to one of America’s truly good real-life figures.

The Fred Rogers profile which inspired the movie to be made with Tom Hanks was the cover story of our "Heroes" issue. And the best thing about today's news is that Hanks wants Fred to be understood as a hero of his time — meaning our time, right now.https://t.co/IWhQpQxCR5

— Tom Junod (@TomJunod) January 29, 2018

It is finally happening, and in the best of ways: a movie, very loosely based on the article I wrote for @Esquire 20 years ago, with Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, two innovative screenwriters from "Transparency" scripting, and Marielle Heller directing. Well-timed, for this moment. https://t.co/JWsOCmL6XB

— Tom Junod (@TomJunod) January 29, 2018

The post Tom Hanks Set to Play Mister Rogers in Upcoming Biopic appeared first on OMG Check It Out !.

“That was just a one-off accident, and it was a mistake on my part,” he told the magazine. “I should have pulled over and gone to sleep instead of battling my way home. But I learned from it. It was a blessing in disguise. I came out unscathed, and I thank God that I’m OK – it could have been a lot worse.”

The Riverdale star reportedly fell asleep while driving after midnight. Fortunately the actor was unharmed, but the incident made the cast and crew start to plan about better filming conditions.

“The schedule didn’t change,” the 20-year-old actor said. “It’s still a requirement for the actors to drive to work, which is fair enough. The crew works longer than we do, and they have to drive back and forth to work every day.”

A source told ET that some Riverdale stars “routinely drive themselves from the city of Vancouver, where they reside, to the set located at least an hour away in a suburb.” While actor Luke Perry has transportation provided by production, the source reported that the show’s younger stars do not.

“It is believed these accidents are happening because the actors are too tired after working long hours to drive themselves,” the source said.

Apa told Esquire, “It puts things in perspective for actors on other shows; when you’re driving home, you’ve got to be mindful and make sure your mind’s right and that you’re not tired.”

“I was really lucky the production was there for me and helped me the whole way, which made me feel looked after,” he continued.

Currently the actor is focusing on finishing the second half of Riverdale season two. He goes to the gym every day to “maintain a pretty tight physique” because of his shirtless scenes and because “it takes a lot of stress out of stuff.”

“It’s a long season. We’re doing 22 episodes in season two, and we’re about halfway through now. It’s crazy to think that right now last year we were finished. To think that we have 11 more episodes is a lot and overwhelming,” he shared.

The post “Riverdale” Star KJ Apa On His Car Accident After 14-Hour Work Day appeared first on OMG Check It Out !.