'Captain Phillips' Trailer: Tom Hanks, Oscar Contender Once Again (VIDEO)

Tom Hanks' Next Oscar?

It's weird to say that Tom Hanks is experiencing a renaissance, but: Tom Hanks is experiencing a renaissance. In the last week alone, Hanks was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in "Lucky Guy" and named the Most Trusted Person in America by Reader's Digest readers. Now, he's at the center of the first trailer for "Captain Phillips."

The fact-based film stars Hanks in the title role as Maersk Alabama captain Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage when his ship was captured by Somali pirates in 2009. The Maersk Alabama was the first U.S.-flagged ship hijacked since the 19th century.

"They're not here to fish," Hanks-as-Phillips says about a couple of rogue boats approaching his ship. That's when all hell breaks loose, with director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Ultimatum") seemingly cutting things together with the goal of maximizing the audiences' capacity to grip the armrests of their seats.

For Hanks, this marks his first truly leading role in a film since 2011's "Larry Crowne." (He, of course, appeared in the ensemble drama "Cloud Atlas" and had a supporting part in "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.") That distinction could put him back in the good graces of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Hanks' last nomination came for the 2000 film "Cast Away," which -- in a way similar to "Captain Phillips" -- was truly The Tom Hanks Show. In fact, the only thing possibly stopping Hanks from landing on the list of very, very, very early Oscar favorites is himself. In addition to "Captain Phillips," Hanks plays Walt Disney in "Saving Mr. Banks." That film is out in December. "Captain Phillips," meanwhile, gets the jump on things on Oct. 11.

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