Bridge of Spies First Image

by Helen Earnshaw | 19 March 2015

Steven Spielberg is set to return to the director's chair with new film Bridge of Spies and the first image from the film has been released.

Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies is the first directorial outing for Spielberg since the success of Lincoln as he returns to the war genre… however, this new project is set during the Cold War and sees him reunite with actor Tom Hanks.

Hanks has already worked with Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan and television series Band of Brothers and The Pacific, and now they are reuniting for another project together. Hanks will take on the central role of James Donovan in the film, and is joined on the cast list by Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Mark Rylance, Scott Shepherd, and Sebastian Koch

Bridge of Spies is inspired by true events and has brought Matt Charman and Joel & Ethan Coen together to pen the screenplay.

A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, "Bridge of Spies" tells the story of James Donovan (Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the centre 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.

It is always exciting when there is a Spielberg movie on the horizon and there is something about the war genre that seems to bring the best out of him as a filmmaker. While we are use to seeing him tackle World War II projects, I can't wait to see him bring this incredible Cold War tale to the big screen.

I know that it is way too early to be talking about possible Oscar contenders for 2016, but don't be surprised if Bridge of Spies, Spielberg, and Hanks are in the mix when the awards season rolls around.