'Little Miss Sunshine' Directors Find Mister Rogers in 'I'm Proud of You'

Following their underrated direction of Ruby Sparks in 2012 (it was one of my favorite films of the year), Little Miss Sunshine directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris became attached to a project called The Big Cigar, which wasn't remarkably different from the much buzzed about Oscar winner Argo. Now the directors have an new project that sounds like it could be in the same vein as Saving Mr. Banks. The Wrap has word that Dayton and Faris are on board to direct an adaptation of I'm Proud of You, an adaptation of Tom Madigan's memoir, chronicling a life-changing meeting with Mister Rogers. Read on!

Yes, that's the very same Mister Rogers from the beloved childhood program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." The book chronicles Madigan's struggles as a husband and father, and how his meeting with Fred Rogers changed all that:

It began as another newspaper assignment, a celebrity profile of the children’s television icon. But in Fred Rogers, Texas journalist Tim Madigan found more than a fascinating subject. From their first meeting in 1995, at Rogers’ invitation, the two became unlikely friends, a deep and abiding relationship that lasted until Rogers’ death in 2003. In that time, Madigan found Rogers to be much more than the calm and compassionate personality of television. He was a person of unique human greatness who embodied love, compassion and wisdom his every waking moment. He was the transcendent being who guided Madigan through periods of life-threatening depression and the tragic death of a sibling and helped him heal his difficult relationship with his father.

Big Beach Films, the company behind Sundance indie sensations like The Kings of Summer and Safety Not Guaranteed, is producing the film with a script from The Motel Life writing duo Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The project sounds like it will be heart-warming and touching, and it's easy to see the comparison between Saving Mr. Banks with the inclusions of an iconic pop culture figure helping someone come to terms with troubles and misunderstandings in their life. If anyone can blend comedy and drama seamlessly, it's Faris and Dayton. Sound good?

1 Linkfx on Sep 27, 2013

2 Charlie Hard on Sep 27, 2013

3 kitano0 on Sep 27, 2013

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