One of the theater producers aiming Nora Ephron’s new play “Lucky Guy” for Broadway confirmed on Thursday that he is going forward with the show, a bio-drama about the New York newspaper columnist Mike McAlary. Ms. Ephron, a celebrated humorist and Oscar-nominated screenwriter, died on Tuesday at the age of 71 from pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukemia.

Tom Hanks is in negotiations to make his Broadway debut next year playing the Daily News columnist Mike McAlary in a new bio-drama by Nora Ephron, Mr. Hanks’s spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday.