Tom Hanks to star in his play 'This World of Tomorrow' off Broadway

The two-time Oscar winner co-wrote the world-premiere show with James Glossman, and performances will run for a limited time at The Shed beginning in October.

Tom Hanks will co-write and star in the world-premiere play This World of Tomorrow off Broadway this fall. Performances will run from October 30 to December 21 at The Shed.

Hanks made his Broadway debut in 2013's Lucky Guy and will now return to the New York stage for the first time in over a decade. He is best known, however, for his two-time Oscar-winning and seven-time Emmy-winning onscreen career; some of his best-known film credits include Forrest Gump, Sleepless in Seattle, Big, Apollo 13, and Sully.

He and James Glossman co-wrote This World of Tomorrow, based on a collection of Hanks's short stories from 2017. The actor will star as a scientist from the future named Bert Allenberry, who travels to the 1939 World's Fair in Queens, looking for true love.

“To explore the themes of love and yearning, and the struggles of today as we carry with us the eternal memories of the past, in such a place as The Shed, strikes me as a one-of-a-kind experience not unlike the World’s Fair of 1939,” Hanks said in a statement.

Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, Othello) will direct. The show's creative team includes scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Adam Honoré, sound designer and composer Justin Ellington, and associate director and dramaturg Todd Kreidler.

Additional casting and creatives have yet to be announced.

"It will be a joy to experience Tom leading the cast on stage in this time-traveling adventure of the limitless power of love and the distance one is willing to go for it," Leon said in a statement. "This story explores a fascinating tale of the echoes of past generations, the often surprising collisions between them, and what is carried forward with an authentic humor I can’t wait to bring to life in the Griffin Theater."

Check back for information on This World of Tomorrow tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Photo credit: Tom Hanks. (Photo by Austin Hargrave)