Tom Hanks is packing his bags and heading to the desert for his most transformative role yet.
The first trailer and poster for A Hologram for the King have officially dropped, and social media is already buzzing over the Oscar winner’s fish-out-of-water journey. In the film, Hanks plays Alan Clay, an American businessman who travels to Saudi Arabia in a high-stakes attempt to revive his flagging career.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) are already calling it a “must-watch,” with many praising the actor’s ability to balance humor and heartbreak in the middle of a massive cultural collision.
The film, directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), follows Clay as he navigates a confusing foreign bureaucracy to sell a state-of-the-art holographic teleconferencing system to the Saudi King.
However, life in the desert isn’t exactly what he expected. Baffled by local customs and stuck waiting in a tent, Clay eventually finds his footing with the help of a wise-cracking taxi driver, played by Alexander Black, and a beautiful Saudi doctor, played by Sarita Choudhury.
The project marks a reunion for Hanks and Tykwer, who previously teamed up for the ambitious fantasy thriller Cloud Atlas. This time, they are bringing Dave Eggers’ best-selling novel to the big screen.
Eggers recently opened up to The New Yorker about the inspiration behind the character, explaining that the idea of a man like Alan Clay had been “kicking around” in his head for years.
“He was a salesman, and was then in manufacturing, and like so many in that line of work, his place now is unclear, his expertise superfluous,” Eggers shared. “I always knew the book would find him adrift, but when I heard about the King Abdullah Economic City, it seemed inevitable that Alan would be there.”
Production for the film was a global affair, kicking off in Morocco back in March before moving to Egypt and Germany. Now, the finished product is finally ready for its close-up.
It’s shaping up to be a massive year for America’s most beloved actor. In addition to A Hologram for the King, which hits theaters on April , Hanks has a packed slate.
He’s set to star in The Circle alongside Emma Watson, the much-anticipated biopic Sully, and will reprise his iconic role as Robert Langdon in the thriller Inferno this October.
But for now, fans are focused on Alan Clay’s desert quest. Will he close the deal of a lifetime, or will he find something even better in the sands of Saudi Arabia?
A Hologram for the King arrives in theaters on April .
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