Steven Spielberg's tapped Daniel Day-Lewis to star as Abraham Lincoln in Spielberg's long-gestating "Lincoln" project for DreamWorks.
Friday's announcement -- made by Spielberg and Dreamworks co-chairman and CEO Stacey Snider -- came nine years after Spielberg first launched development of a Lincoln biopic and five years after he'd held talks with Liam Neeson to portray the 16th president.
Spielberg noted in the announcement that he's never worked with Day-Lews previously.
"Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema's distant future," Spielberg said in a statement. "I am grateful and inspired that our paths will finally cross with Lincoln."
Project's based on the 2005 book "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin with the adaptation by Tony Kushner. Spielberg will direct and produce with Kathleen Kennedy.
Story's focused 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. Filming is expected to begin next fall for release in the fourth quarter of 2012 through Disney's Touchstone distribution label.
Kushner had previously worked with Spielberg on "Munich" for which he was nominated for an Oscar in the Adapted Screenplay category.
Spielberg has been working on the movie about Lincoln since 2001, when DreamWorks bought rights to Kearns Goodwin's book, then tentatively titled "The Uniter: The Genius of Abraham Lincoln."
"Team of Rivals" focuses on Lincoln's presidency between 1861 and 1865 with a focus on the three Cabinet members who ran against Lincoln in the 1860 election -- Edward Bates (Attorney General), Salmon Chase (Secretary of the Treasury) and William H. Seward (Secretary of State) -- and Lincoln's ability to deal effectively with the profound political and personal conflicts during the Civil War.
Spielberg had announced last month that he'd direct futuristic drama "Robopocalypse" for DreamWorks with principal photography starting in January 2012 for a release in via Disney in 2013. The announcement about "Lincoln" won't change the start of "Robopocalypse," which explores the fate of the human race following a robot uprising.
"It won't impact Robopocalypse," studio spokeswoman Kristin Stark said. "He'll shoot them back to back, which he has done with other films before."
Spielberg has been in London shooting the bigscreen adaptation of WWI story "War Horse." Disney and DreamWorks will release the film Dec. 28, 2011, one week after Universal and Sony release another Spielberg-directed project, "The Adventures of Tintin: Secrets of the Unicorn."
Friday's announcement of the "Lincoln" project coincides with the anniversary of Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address in 1863 at the dedication of a new cemetery to honor the soldiers who perished in the battle.
Neeson said in an interview this summer that he was no longer interested in the role.
As for Day-Lewis, "Lincoln" will be the first film he's done since last year's "Nine." He's been in only three other pics -- "There Will Be Blood," "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" and "Gangs of New York" -- in the past decade
Friday's announcement -- made by Spielberg and Dreamworks co-chairman and CEO Stacey Snider -- came nine years after Spielberg first launched development of a Lincoln biopic and five years after he'd held talks with Liam Neeson to portray the 16th president.
Spielberg noted in the announcement that he's never worked with Day-Lews previously.
"Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema's distant future," Spielberg said in a statement. "I am grateful and inspired that our paths will finally cross with Lincoln."
Project's based on the 2005 book "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin with the adaptation by Tony Kushner. Spielberg will direct and produce with Kathleen Kennedy.
Story's focused 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. Filming is expected to begin next fall for release in the fourth quarter of 2012 through Disney's Touchstone distribution label.
Kushner had previously worked with Spielberg on "Munich" for which he was nominated for an Oscar in the Adapted Screenplay category.
Spielberg has been working on the movie about Lincoln since 2001, when DreamWorks bought rights to Kearns Goodwin's book, then tentatively titled "The Uniter: The Genius of Abraham Lincoln."
"Team of Rivals" focuses on Lincoln's presidency between 1861 and 1865 with a focus on the three Cabinet members who ran against Lincoln in the 1860 election -- Edward Bates (Attorney General), Salmon Chase (Secretary of the Treasury) and William H. Seward (Secretary of State) -- and Lincoln's ability to deal effectively with the profound political and personal conflicts during the Civil War.
Spielberg had announced last month that he'd direct futuristic drama "Robopocalypse" for DreamWorks with principal photography starting in January 2012 for a release in via Disney in 2013. The announcement about "Lincoln" won't change the start of "Robopocalypse," which explores the fate of the human race following a robot uprising.
"It won't impact Robopocalypse," studio spokeswoman Kristin Stark said. "He'll shoot them back to back, which he has done with other films before."
Spielberg has been in London shooting the bigscreen adaptation of WWI story "War Horse." Disney and DreamWorks will release the film Dec. 28, 2011, one week after Universal and Sony release another Spielberg-directed project, "The Adventures of Tintin: Secrets of the Unicorn."
Friday's announcement of the "Lincoln" project coincides with the anniversary of Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address in 1863 at the dedication of a new cemetery to honor the soldiers who perished in the battle.
Neeson said in an interview this summer that he was no longer interested in the role.
As for Day-Lewis, "Lincoln" will be the first film he's done since last year's "Nine." He's been in only three other pics -- "There Will Be Blood," "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" and "Gangs of New York" -- in the past decade
