Tom Hanks’ Coronavirus Diagnosis Came as He Was Working on Elvis Presley Biopic

Tom Hanks made a startling post on Wednesday night when he shared with the world that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, had contracted coronavirus. The Castaway actor provided a lengthy caption with his photo, providing an emotional message as to how this all came about.

Hanks and Wilson were in Australia for pre-production of an upcoming film on Elvis Presley. The movie has a release date of Oct. 1, 2021. Along with Hanks, Austin Butler is set to star in the flick as The King of Rock and Roll. Baz Luhrmann is directing with Kelly Marcel writing the screenplay.

It was revealed on March 28, 2019 by Variety that Hanks would be playing the role of Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

News of Hanks and Wilson’s positive test for COVID-19 was revealed by the Forrest Gump star. He shared that they will continue being tested and observed and isolated until further notice.

“Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia,” his statement began. “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”

Prior to the the shocking news, Hanks and Wilson had been touring the country. Wilson shared multiple photos around Sydney, including in front of the Sydney Opera House, a site visited by thousands every day.

“‘Oh, @Sydney You are beautiful and @sydneyoperahouse you made a dream come true tonight,” she wrote on March 7. “Performing at this iconic place is unlike any other. And, the warmth of the audience made me feel so welcome. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The coronavirus has taken new life on Wednesday with Hanks reveal and the NBA’s decision to suspend the season topping an otherwise crazy day around the world.

Just before all of that transpired, President Donald Trump took to the podum at 9 p.m. ET to announce that all travel from Europe is banned for 30 days beginning on Friday. He also promised financial benefits to those impacted.

“Each of us has a role to play in defeating this virus,” Trump said during his speech.

The World Health Organization also officially classified the outbreak as a pandemic earlier in the day, adding that “pandemic” is not a word they use lightly.