Will Tom Hanks Take on Hitler for His New Movie ‘In the Garden of Beasts’?

Universal and Tom Hanks’ production company Playtone have optioned the film rights to Erik Larson’s best-seller ‘In the Garden of Beasts,’ which centers around the Hitler era. The Oscar-winning actor may also get the chance to star in the movie.

The non-fiction book is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign, brought to life through the stories of William Dodd, a US ambassador to Berlin, and his daughter Martha, a socialite who had romantic affairs with a Gestapo official and a Soviet spy. It’s the second book of Larson’s to get the Hollywood treatment — he also penned ‘The Devil and the White City,’ which is currently in development by Leonardo DiCaprio.

‘Beasts’ will be the latest historically-themed project from Hanks. His production company was also behind the Emmy-winning miniseries ‘Band of Brothers,’ ‘The Pacific’ and ‘John Adams.’

[The Hollywood Reporter]