Tom Hanks will star in the play “This World of Tomorrow,” marking his return to Broadway for the first time in 14 years.
Hanks was last on Broadway in Nora Ephron’s 2013 play “Lucky Guy,” which earned him a Tony nomination. This time, the celebrated actor will be joined by theater veteran Kelli O’Hara, who appeared alongside him in the show’s Off Broadway run last year at the Shed.
“This World of Tomorrow” is based on a series of short stories written by Hanks. He’s co-writing the adaptation with James Glossman. Described as a “time-travel romance,” the play takes place at the end of the 21st century and follows Bert Allenberry, who is determined to change his future by returning to the past. “When Bert journeys back — again, and again, and again — to one remarkable day at the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Queens, he discovers that the future is shaped not by technology, but by the choices we make for love,” per the official logline.
Directed by Kenny Leon, whose recent Broadway credits include “The Balusters,” “Othello” with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, and “Our Town” with Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes, is directing the show. It will play at a Shubert theater to be announced. Complete cast and creative team details will be confirmed soon.
“I’m so excited to continue this work on this amazing new American play,” said Leon. “There’s no time like the present to further explore this story of love and time travel from Glossman and Hanks. More than anything, I look forward to even more audiences who will have the chance to witness the onstage chemistry of Kelli O’Hara and Tom Hanks.”
Adds The Shed’s artistic director Alex Poots, “A beloved actor of our times, Tom Hanks co-created and starred in ‘This World of Tomorrow’ with the illuminating Kelli O’Hara for their sold out run at The Shed. Reminding us that while the world changes, the deepest of human connections endures and the power of love can transcend any era. Now this story of second chances gets to reach an even wider audience on Broadway.”
Producer Brian Anthony Moreland described Hanks as “one of the great storytellers of our time” and called it an “incredible privilege” to bring this play to Broadway.
“There is something extraordinary about bringing a story that explores the power of love across time to a place where the magic of live theater happens every night,” Moreland said. “At its heart, ‘This World of Tomorrow’ reminds us that no matter how much the world changes, the one thing that remains timeless is our capacity to love.”