Tom Hanks films to open, close London Film fest

Tom Hanks

LONDON— The London Film Festival is getting a double dose of Tom Hanks.

Organizers announced Thursday that the festival will close Oct. 20 with “Saving Mr. Banks,” which stars Hanks as movie mogul Walt Disney.

Hanks also plays the lead role in the festival’s opener, piracy thriller “Captain Phillips.”

Based on real events, “Saving Mr. Banks” tells the story of the fraught page-to-screen journey of children’s classic “Mary Poppins.” Hanks plays the American filmmaker, with Emma Thompson as the book’s apprehensive British author, P.L. Travers.

Festival director Clare Stewart said the movie, directed by John Lee Hancock, is “a magical ode to the brilliance and volatility of the two very different creative forces.”

The 57th London Film Festival runs Oct. 9-20.

First posted August 9, 2013 | 7:11 am