Tom Hanks is slated to make his Broadway debut next year as Mike McAlary, the Daily News columnist in Nora Ephron's "Lucky Guy." The actor is in negotiations for the project, Hanks' publicist confirmed the news to the New York Times today.
"Lucky Guy" follows the story of tabloid reporter Mike McAlary. McAlary gained recognition for his coverage of the police beat in New York City during the late 80s and most of the 90s. In 1998, his renowned reporting won him the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage on the police brutalization of Abner Louima. McAlary died that same year of colon cancer at the age of 41.
Journalists and journalism is apparently trending in the theater scene right now. In addition to "Lucky Guy," Broadway has welcomed "Newsies," and "The Columnist," starring John Lithgow as renowned D.C. newsman Joseph Alsop.
If the negotiations pull through, this will be Hanks' first stage performance since 1979 when he was cast in Riverside Shakespeare Company's production of "The Mandrake."
Ephron gained recognition as the writer for films like "When Harry Met Sally" in 1998, but made her playwright debut in 2002 with "Imaginary Friends." She also coauthored 2008's successful play adopted from the book "Love, Loss, and What I Wore."