Saving Mr. Banks will close the 57th BFI London Film Festival, with star Tom Hanks also appearing in previously announced opener Captain Phillips .
He’ll play real-life characters in both films, although they couldn’t be more different: Banks sees him star as Walt Disney, in the story of the conception and production of Mary Poppins (1964), while Captain Phillips casts him in the title role as the commanding officer of a container ship that was attacked by pirates in 2009.
In an official statement, Clare Stewart, BFI Head of Exhibition and Festival Director, said of the closing night film: “There is only one word that gives full expression to the inventiveness and creativity of the film that will be our Closing Night Gala for the 57th BFI London Film Festival – Saving Mr. Banks is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
"Positively overflowing with its ebullient love of storytelling and the filmmaking process, Saving Mr. Banks is also a magical ode to the brilliance and volatility of the two very different creative forces behind the making of Mary Poppins , with Emma Thompson superb as the protective author P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks in charming form as Walt Disney.”
Hanks’ performance will be one of the most eagerly awaited of the festival, which runs from Wednesday 9 October to Sunday 20 October 2013. The full line-up will be announced on Wednesday 4 September 2013.
