Based on historical events that happened during the Cold War era when an American U-2 spy jet was shot down in Soviet air space along with its pilot, the stirring thriller Bridge of Spies brings to life the crisis that raised tensions between the U.S. and the Soviets during such volatile times.
Tom Hanks, known for his engaging characterization in blockbuster films such as Saving Private Ryan, The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Forrest Gump and Castaway stars anew in the historical movie Bridge of Spies that tells of an extraordinary story of an unlikely hero set against the backdrop of a series of historic events.
The film is about James Donovan (Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot.
Screenwriters Matt Charman and three-time Academy Award winners Ethan Coen & Joel Coen have woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.
Directed by three-time Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg and inspired by true events, it stars Hanks as James Donovan; three-time Tony Award® winner Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel, a KGB agent defended by Donovan; Scott Shepherd as CIA operative Hoffman; Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan as James’ wife, Mary; Sebastian Koch as East German lawyer Vogel; and Academy Award nominee Alan Alda as Thomas Watters, a partner at Donovan’s law firm.
Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger produced the film with Adam Somner, Daniel Lupi, Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King serving as executive producers.
Bridge of Spies will open in cinemas on Oct.14 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.