Tom Hanks’ new movie is being mistaken for Young Sheldon spinoff

Jessica Cullen
Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in Here

Tom Hanks’ new movie with Robert Zemeckis is already making waves, but not because it looks good – it’s because everyone thinks it’s a Young Sheldon spinoff.

It all comes from the de-aging used in the new movie, titled Here, which makes Hanks and Robin Wright decades younger. In the stills shared, both stars appear young again, looking to be in their 20s-30s.

That, paired with the film’s overall style, have led many to think they were looking at images of Young Sheldon cast members, instead. The main culprit is an image of Hanks hugging Wright, wearing a short-sleeved, Sheldon-like shirt.

This assumption isn’t completely misled. Since there is a Young Sheldon spinoff currently in the works – Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage – it’s perfectly reasonable that many have assumed these images are part of the Sheldonverse.

“I skipped over this a couple times on the timeline because I literally thought it was about Young Sheldon,” said one X user. Another added: “Thought these were screenshots from the Young Sheldon spinoff.”

“100% thought this was Young Sheldon while scrolling,” said another.

One pointed out: “The first pic looks like they put Tom Hanks’ face on Young Sheldon.” Clearly, others made the same connection, with one commenter adding: “The Young Sheldon-fication of Tom Hanks.”

“I instinctively thought this was Young Sheldon,” wrote another.

As entertaining as a Tom Hanks-led Young Sheldon spinoff might be, this isn’t what’s happening.

Here is Zemeckis’ reunion with Hanks and Wright, 30 years after the pair starred in Forrest Gump. It’s a drama with a twist, taking place entirely in one living room in an American home (wherein the camera never moves), over the course of a century.

The film also stars Paul Bettany and Yellowstone cast member Kelly Reilly.

“The single perspective never changes, but everything around it does,” Zemeckis told Vanity Fair. “It’s actually never been done before. There are similar scenes in very early silent movies, before the language of montage was invented. But other than that, yeah, it was a risky venture.”

Here will arrive in theaters on November 15, 2024. For more, check out all the best movies of 2024, and find out what happened in the Young Sheldon finale. You can also check out all the shows to watch if you love Young Sheldon, in case you’re missing that little genius.