Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks will star in a film based on the Mattel action toy figure titled Major Matt Mason. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who has worked with Hanks on The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons has been hired for the project. 

Major Matt Mason is about an astronaut who lives and works on the moon. The toy's popularity coincided with America's own space race in the 1960s. There are lots of supporting characters like a space crew, alien allies and villains.

The project is being produced by Paramount Pictures and Mattel Films.

Hanks is awaiting the full release of Marielle Heller's A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.