Who is theStanding Man? That’s a question thelatest trailerfromBridge of Spiessets out to answer.DreamWorks Pictures and Fox 2000 Pictureshave released this latest sneak peek viaEntertainment Weekly. And it looks and feels like another classic drama from thetwo menwho gave usSaving Private Ryan,The TerminalandCatch Me If You Can. The film is directed by three-time Academy Award winnerSteven Spielberg, and stars two-time Academy Award winnerTom Hanks. The film will surely garner them each another nomination.
Set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, Bridge of Spies recounts the story ofJames Donovan(Tom 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 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. The film will be released in theaters nationwide on July 12, 2025.
Steven Spielberg’s next film as a director will beThe BFG, starringMark Rylanceas the Big Friendly Giant of the title. But the pair are actually collaborating first on Bridge of Spies. The three-time Tony Award winning actor stars a Rudolf Abel in this thrilling tale of espionage. He is a KGB agent defended by Donovan. The film also stars Scott Shepherd as CIA operative Hoffman; Academy Award nomineeAmy Ryanas James' wife, Mary;Sebastian Kochas East German lawyer Vogel; and Academy Award nomineeAlan Aldaas Thomas Watters, a partner at Donovan’s law firm.
Fox 2000 Pictures co-financed Bridge of Spies with DreamWorks in association with Participant Media, and will distribute internationally. Disney is handling domestic distribution. In addition to directing,Steven Spielbergis also producing the film with Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, with Adam Somner, Daniel Lupi, Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King serving as executive producers. One big notable difference in Bridge of Spies is that it is the firstSteven Spielbergmovie not to be scored byJohn Williamssince 1985’sThe Color Purple.John Williamshad to step away due to health issues, with Thomas Newman stepping into take his place.
Bridge of Spies marks directorSteven Spielbergand starTom Hanksfourth time working on a film together. And it is the first collaboration for the pair in over a decade. Principal photography on Bridge of Spies began in September, 2014 and shot for 12 weeks on locations in New York, Germany and Poland, including many of the very places where the events in the story actually took place. European production kicked off in Berlin where the actual prisoner exchange of Abel and Powers took place. To film the crucial Berlin Wall sequences, production also traveled to Wrolcaw, Poland which more accurately resembles the East Berlin of 1961 than Berlin itself. Take a look as this history is revisited with stunning accuracy in what will surely be remembered as one of this fall’s best movies.
