belfasttelegraph

Saturday 18 May 2013

Hanks confirms Matt Mason movie

Tom Hanks is behind the big screen adventure based on the Major Matt Mason action figure

Tom Hanks has confirmed he will play spaceman Major Matt Mason in the movie based on a 1960s action figure.

The Apollo 13 and Toy Story star told movie blog The Wrap that Robert Zemeckis, who he has worked with on Forrest Gump and The Polar Express, will direct the film.

Tom revealed: "I started tinkering with the story after Larry Crowne [the 2011 film he wrote, directed and starred in with Julia Roberts]."

The actor - who used to play with a Major Matt Mason doll as a child - has co-written the space adventure, with Speed's Graham Yost. The project has been in the pipeline for several years.

Major Matt was an astronaut who worked on the Moon. The toy was launched in 1966, three years before man first made it to the Moon, and fans could collect three other action figures of Major Matt's friends to play with - Sergeant Storm, Doug Davis and Lieutenant Jeff Long. They fought a team of bad guys, led by the evil Captain Lazer. The line was axed in the 70s but obviously still has a place in Tom's heart.

The story is set on the moon, following a team of people based at a space station.

Yost previously revealed: "There's no bad guys. There are no aliens. Nothing like that. It's just, can you survive?"

Latest Entertainment News

Latest Music News

Latest Film & TV News

Latest Eating Out News

Horoscopes

Your Horoscopes by Russell Grant

Taurus:

This isn't a good time to make travel plans. Weather conditions and work responsibilities have a way of wreaking havoc with your schedule. Wait another few days before putting down a hefty deposit. Working behind the scenes will yield significant rewards. If someone asks you to serve as their assistant, go ahead and accept. The pay will be excellent and there will be a lot of fringe benefits, too. Don't talk about a neighbour's private life in mixed company.More