Will Hit Theaters Fall 2012
Daniel Day-Lewis is set to play one of the most iconic figures in American history, landing the role of Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg‘s long-gestating passion project “Lincoln.”
The announcement is a massive surprise as earlier this summer Liam Neeson, long attached to the project, revealed that he was no longer involved leaving many to speculate the project was going to be Spielberg’s “Napoleon.” However, things are now in motion with a planned 4th quarter release for the film in 2012.
“Lincoln” will be based on the best-selling book, “Team of Rivals,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and featuring a script by Tony Kushner (“Angels In America“) it’s believed the plot will focus “on the political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of the Civil War.”
Even more exciting is that this one is moving quickly with production set to begin in fall 2011 in anticipation of release one year later the fourth quarter of 2012. The project will keep Spielberg busy for the foreseeable future. He’s currently working on the WWI drama “War Horse” which he will be prepping for a December 28, 2011 release. On top of that, he’s also got “Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” opening five days before on December 23, 2011 (we’re still in mild disbelief; and we figure one of those two films are going to move out of the way). And don’t forget about “Robopocalypse,” a project Spielberg signed on to last month. That is expected to go in front of cameras in January 2012 for a 2013 release.
This is easily the biggest news of the week hands down, and a tremendous exciting development. Daniel Day-Lewis standing in the shoes of Abraham Lincoln is something we can’t wait to see, and seems to continue an ongoing run of roles for the actor where he plays old timey Americans (except for “Nine” but let’s not talk about that film). We presume this means Lewis’ intense preparation begins now so just remember to address him as Abraham next time you drop off some shoes for him to cobble. [Thompson On Hollywood]