In the 1990s, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were one of the more frequent actor pairings on the big screen, appearing together in 1990's Joe vs. the Volcano, 1993's Sleepless in Seattle and 1998's You've Got Mail. It's been nearly 20 years since their last project together, but Hanks and Ryan are finally reuniting this fall for Ithaca, and today brings their first look at them together in the period drama.
A lot of time has passed since Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan appeared together in a movie, but it's good to see them sitting side by side in this Ithaca photo provided by EW. Those who enjoyed their '90s rom-com moments should be forewarned that Hanks and Ryan will only be sharing a brief moment of screen time together, as Hanks' is only cameoing in the movie as Ryan's character's deceased husband. Nevertheless, Ryan enjoyed her short time reunited with Hanks, saying:
He's just so dear. He so did not have to do that. It took him a day to [shoot his scene]. At the end of his time, he says to the crew, 'All right, gather 'round. Listen, I know we've gotten to know each other very well over the last 10 hours together, but I just want to thank you for being here for my friend Meg.' It was such an act of friendship. I love him so much.
Based on the 1943 novel The Human Comedy, Ithaca, which is directed by Meg Ryan herself, follows a young boy named Homer Macauley (played by Alex Neustaedter) who is trying to be the best telegraph bicyclist in the city. Since his older brother has gone off to fight in World War II and his father (Hanks' character) recently died, it's up to Homer to take care of his mother (played by Ryan), his older sister and younger brother.
Eventually Homer becomes the only telegraph messenger in the city, and as he delivers messages to his fellow townspeople, he'll mature in ways he didn't think possible, all while he waits for his brother to come home from the war. In the midst of this, Homer's mother will be visited by the specter of her late husband. It sounds like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks had a great time back together during those hours of shooting Ithaca, further cementing how close they are in real life. Perhaps this will help lead to another collaboration between the two of them in a whole movie, not just for one scene.
Ithaca will be released in theaters on September 9, though folks who attended the Middleburg Film Festival last October have already gotten the chance to see it.
