A Man Called Otto

Life has been one tragedy after the other for Otto. His wife passed away. He was forced into retirement after 40 years of loyal service. And he’s no longer happy at all. He decides, then, to end it all and take his life. But every chance he gets to commit the act is interrupted by his neighbors. Little by little, an unlikely friendship emerges.

What to know

A Man Called Otto is a comedy-drama movie based on the novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The movie is equally an English language adaptation of the Swedish film A Man Called Ove written and directed by Hannes Holm. This adaptation is directed by Marc Forster, a filmmaker known for directing Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace, World War Z, and Christopher Robin. This picture sees Forster reunited with American screenwriter David Magee after the two worked on Finding Neverland together. Magee is also known for writing Life of Pi, Marry Poppins Returns, and The School for Good and Evil.

The movie stars Hollywood icon Tom Hanks in the lead role. Hanks began his acting career in the early 1980s and has steadily amassed a huge list of performances and awards in a variety of different movies. Portraying the grumpy main character Otto Anderson, Hanks is joined by a small wider cast. Mariana Trevino, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, and Mike Birbiglia all join the legendary actor in this comedy drama. A Man Called Otto was released in cinemas on 25th December 2022.

Production: Timeline, news & updates

A Man Called Otto was first announced in 2017 when it was confirmed that Tom Hanks would star in the English language adaptation of the Swedish movie. In January 2022, the director Marc Forster was confirmed alongside writer David Magee. Filming began in February 2022 alongside the announcement that Sony Pictures would be distributing the movie. Filming wrapped for A Man Called Otto in May 2022. In October 2022, the first official trailer was released showing iconic lead Tom Hanks in the main role. On 25th December 2022, A Man Called Otto was released in cinemas.