The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece: A novel

Written by Tom Hanks

Narrated by Tom Hanks, Peter Gerety, Natalie Morales and 6 more

From the legendary actor and best-selling author: a novel about the making of a star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film...and the humble comic books that inspired it. Funny, touching, and wonderfully thought-provoking, while also capturing the changes in America and American culture since World War II.

"Wild, ambitious and exceptionally enjoyable." —Matt Haig, best-selling author The Midnight Library, The Humans and Reasons to Stay Alive

Part One of this story takes place in 1947. A troubled soldier, returning from the war, meets his talented five-year-old nephew, leaves an indelible impression, and then disappears for twenty-three years.

Cut to 1970: The nephew, now drawing underground comic books in Oakland, California, reconnects with his uncle and, remembering the comic book he saw when he was five, draws a new version with his uncle as a World War II fighting hero. 

Cut to the present day: A commercially successful director discovers the 1970 comic book and decides to turn it into a contemporary superhero movie.

Cue the cast: We meet the film’s extremely difficult male star, his wonderful leading lady, the eccentric writer/director, the producer, the gofer production assistant, and everyone else on both sides of the camera.

Bonus material: Interspersed throughout are three comic books that are featured in the story—all created by Tom Hanks himself—including the comic book that becomes the official tie-in to this novel’s "major motion picture masterpiece."

*Includes a downloadable PDF of the comics from the book and a QR code for access to the original screenplay of Knightshade: The Lathe of Firefall

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: May 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9780593635407

Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks nació el 9 de julio de 1956. Conocido por sus papeles como actor en Big (1988), Philadephia (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Salvar al soldado Ryan, Tienes un e-mail (ambas en 1998), Cloud Atlas, así como por haber puesto voz a personajes de las películas animadas Polar Express o Toy Story. Su carrera como actor, productor, guionista y director es una de las más consolidadas en Hollywood, y cuenta con millones de seguidores en el mundo entero. Sus relatos han aparecido en medios como The New York Times, Vainity Fair y The New Yorker. Tipos singulares es su primer libro.

Reviews for The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece

[troymcc-76795 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was neat seeing how a movie gets inspired and made, from the inside, written by someone who would know. I liked most of the characters. I laughed out loud several times. That said, the book seemed longer than necessary; it took me a lot longer to read than I expected.

[drapple_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A charmin tale that crosses generations.

[harryo19 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you've seen the garrulous Mr. Hanks on a talk show, particularly Graham Norton, you've got the tone of this book. The title describes the book entirely. And, of course there are many references to typewriters and WWII. Overall, very enjoyable.

[boundtogetherforgood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was recommended to me by my brother, Duffy. He left the book at the house of one of our sisters, but it never reached me. I was looking at Libby one day, and this had become available, so I borrowed it.

I had no knowledge of what the book was about. I guess I expected it to be more character focused. Actually, the titular screenplay/motion picture is essentially the central character for the story arc. The story would have felt more cohesive if I had realized that. I should have realized that. I was drawn in by the beginning of the book, and by the end; parts of the middle were less engaging for me. Overall, it was rather fun. I liked the way he brought a couple of ordinary people into the story, as support people to the director of the eventual film. I have often wondered if normal, everyday people ever get sucked into roles that they weren't even gunning for. I find it fascinating to consider such things.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this trip behind the making of a movie, from source material to post production from someone who knows all about it. I found the source material a little dull but the book picks up after that. The statement that came to my mind was 'it takes a village to raise a child' and it definitely takes a village to make a movie, something that happens everyday when you think of everything out there. Some of the insights that the fictional director of the picture comes up is very profound.

[kaulsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I purchased this book as an audible book knowing the Hanks would be the [primary] narrator. That was enough info for me to make the decision. Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print (not so easy to do on e-purchases on my iPhone), and I didn't understand that the beginning of the book was the "back story" for the movie about to unfold. Once I figured that out....WOW, what a fun book! Fun characters and the fact that the movie entire cast read their parts... (dot dot dot). Wonderful read. I was sorry the book didn't immediately take me into the director/writer's next project. BTW, the backstory is quite important to the whole. Don't skip it (dot dot dot).

[dbsovereign · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I like Tom Hanks and love many of the movies that he's been in, but this book was gravely disappointing. Too many subtitles, too many details that failed to move the non-existent story along. Sorry Mr. Hanks, but this just did not fly. I rarely fail to finish a book, but I could not get past the first few chapters.

[poolays · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of how a movie is made, a fictitious movie, starting with a fictitious comic book 76 years earlier. It's not really about the stars, although they are of course there. It's about all the other people in the long, long list of credits. In this book they are the real people who work long and hard to make the movie a success. You get to know a few, and like them. and you can't help but walk away with a deeper understanding of the industry. A particularly interesting read right now, while there is an actors and writers strike happening

[tulipmedia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A truly wonderful (albeit a bit lenghty) journey into the heart and soul of making movie magic--something Hanks both well understands and had been deeply committed to, for all our benefit, for many years. If you love the art of cinema and also appreciate the extraordinary chain of circumstances always needed to finally get a project developed, financed, and, finally, appearing on the SIlver Screen (or, in the case of the project subject matter of this great work, being streamed to you as you sit on your sofa), this book will capture your imagination and fill you with joy and wonder.
Which, of course, is precisely what great filmmaking does!

[bookczuk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I find I like Tom Hanks, the actor, more than I like Tom Hanks, the writer, but it's always interesting to learn more about a person.

[thanesh_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tom being the prolific actor that he is has done a great job of penning this novel about the industry that has served him so well. He is great in the cast of narrators and really makes for an entertaining listen. The characters were strong and well developed from a hotel receptionist or a Uber driver how these folks are able to demonstrate their talents and get the attention of the film industry higher ups.

[gingersnap000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An amusing novel about the making of a movie as told by the director.

[brianinbuffalo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

[ 1.5 stars, generously rounded up] With apologies to one of my favorite contemporary actors, I positively hated this book. So much so that it landed on my short “DNF” (Did Not Finish) list. I realize that I’m once again playing the outlier role given the many glowing reviews. But after an excruciatingly slow start, I almost called it quits a fifth of the way through. Then my inner voice boomed, “Come on, man, it’s Forrest!” The same thing happened a third of the way through. I finally ignored the inner voice at the halfway point. I disliked the book’s disjointed structure. I couldn’t get into a single character. And when Hanks finally delved into the moviemaking angles promised in the title, it was — well, boring. There are a handful of intriguing vignettes sprinkled throughout the first half, but they weren't enough to keep me engaged. I resisted the urge to assign it 1 star in recognition of the author's stature and accomplishments. I'm surprised, because I was sure I would like the book given the fact that I’m a lifelong movie buff and have loved many Hanks films. I guess books are like a box chocolates…

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This multi-layered novel successfully covers a wide time span, a broad cast of characters, and multiple stages of movie production. Hanks certainly knows what he's talking about, and makes readers aware of all the complexities that may go on behind the scenes in bringing a film to fruition. The book begins with a boy who idolizes his uncle going off to fight in World War II and grows up to create a comic book series memorializing him. What follows is the introduction of the film's director, his producer, then various actors, and assorted crew members. We come to know these characters well, and understand all the obstacles in their way that impede the creation of a great film and affect their personal lives. There are laugh-out-loud moments that both heighten and minimize production frustrations. Chief among them was the completely obnoxious male star--thank goodness that was resolved. For film buffs this should be a fun glimpse behind the scenes, and for everyone else it's fun for the characters and their stories.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty charming! I was surprised at the effort put into this—not only is it an interesting gloss of a bunch of fictional people making a fictional movie, the movie is part of a fictional major comic book franchise for which there's a whole detailed history, and borrows from a one-off fictional comic book with a ton of detail about its creator and backstory. That's a lot of layers of fictional details! In addition to several movies based on this novel itself I would watch many of the movies implied to exist in this universe.