Tristar Pictures has landed worldwide distribution rights to the Mr. Rogers biopic “You Are My Friend,” with Tom Hanks attached to play the iconic TV personality.

“Diary of a Teenage Girl” director Marielle Heller is helming the pic from a script by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

“I’m thrilled to be making ‘You Are My Friend’,” Heller said. “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 a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and award-winning journalist Tom Junod. In the story, a cynical* journalist begrudgingly* accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective* on life transformed.

Hanks is hardly a stranger to playing real-life personalities. In last year’s “The Post,” which was recently nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards, he played Washington Post editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee. It’s currently unknown when this film would start production, as Hanks has a handful of films expected to shoot this year, including Sony’s World War II movie “Greyhound.” (SD-Agencies)