Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
Spielberg’s Lincoln Revving Up, Ready for Oscar Season?
Posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
Playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner last night took part in a panel discussion at the Harvard University Institute of Politics under the rather prolix heading of Looking For Lincoln: In his Time and Ours - A Conversation on the Meaning of Abraham Lincoln. Kushner’s invitation was most likely on the basis of his longterm engagement, scripting a Lincoln picture for Steven Spielberg.
Present at the event was a wonderful snoop who chose to confide in Jeff Wells via cellphone e-mail. This snoop reported a claim from Kushner that “the decision will be made on Lincoln next week” and that a green light would likely see the film in cinemas “before Christmas”. Kushner also gave some details on how the script has been shaped and what the narrative would entail.
Someone took a look at Steven Spielberg’s day planner and spilled the details about the legendary director’s upcoming film schedule. Apparently Spielberg is eyeing a September 2008 start for Tintin, the big screen performance-capture adaptation of the popular Belgian comic-strip hero (and his faithful dog Snowy).
After which he will immediately begin work on the long-gestating Abraham Lincoln biopic Lincoln in early 2009. Spielberg is rushing the project into production so that “it can also open in the same year as Lincoln’s 200th anniversary which comes round then.” Spielberg also tells FOCUS magazine that the production of Tintin would not be threatened by the possible upcoming actor’s strike.
“That doesn’t affect us as it is an animation film with motion capture technology,” he said.
It’s interesting how that works. I’m wondering if SAG may change their rules on this type of production in the future. This also confirms previous reports that Spielberg has but Chicago Seven on the back-burner so that the screenplay can be worked on further. I’m still getting the impression that Chicago Seven might be one of those projects which could easily fall into development heck. Spielberg gets offered all sorts of new interesting opportunities each day, and it would be easy for this project to be passed by.
source: Screendaily
Harrison Ford to play Andrew Johnson in Spielberg’s Lincoln?
Posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
Over at Chud, there is a crazy-eyed-killah of a rumor going around that Harrison Ford is in cahoots with Steven Spielberg to star in his upcoming Lincoln, an ambitious film set to unravel the mystery behind the popular children’s toy. Ford is purported to have a droopy eye on the role of Andrew Johnson, the 17th American president (and not Lincoln as parodied in the photo to the right), who took office after the 16th was assassinated by a mustachioed thespian. According to Wikipedia, the 16th American president was a tall, bearded man named Abraham Lincoln (to be played by Liam Neeson) whose family I’m guessing eventually starting making great toys. I would imagine.
Now, many might dismiss this as bogus since news also broke this week that Sacha Baron Cohen is a lock to star as afro’d ’60s rabble rouser Abbie Hoffman in Spielberg’s Chicago 7. And since that casting info was followed by a quizzical avalanche of stars including Will Smith, Adam Arkin and Kevin Spacey who are also said to be up for a role in the latter film, it seems Spielberg drew straws and the revolutionary longhairs won out. But since Spielberg likes to challenge himself by firing up two projects simultaneously (see War of the Worlds and Munich), I’d bet there’s truthiness here. Hopefully, Ford caught the acting bug after doing the new Indiana Jones installment, and it’d be fantastic to see him in a role where he’s not slowly smashing through a door that’s on fire.
Personally, I want to see Lincoln realized first. It’s been a long time coming and assuming that Spielberg is still in the deeply ruminative, almost melancholic, period of his career, I’d pay to simply watch him direct smoke on a battlefield. I happen to agree with Devin at Chud that Spielberg is not an ideal fit for Chicago 7, material that warrants a director with an anarchistic heart to get today’s youth figuratively off the shore and into the rocky waters. But which would you rather see and how do you feel about Spielberg’s latest passion projects?
Sally Field (Forrest Gump, Mrs. Doubtfire) has signed on to play Mary Todd, the wife of the sixteenth President of the United States in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. Based on the biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln), Liam Neeson (Star Wars: Episode I, Batman Begins) will play Abraham Lincoln, as he guides the North to victory during the Civil War.
Marcia Gay Harden had long been rumored to play the first lady, who was committed to an insane asylum in her elder years after three of her four kids didn’t live to adulthood, and her husband was shot as he held her hand. Sounds like a juicy role.
Tony Kushner (Munich) is currently rewriting John Logan’s (Gladiator, Any Given Sunday) and Paul Webb’s drafts while Spielberg films Indiana Jones IV. Filming could possibly begin as early as May 2008 (if the strike is over).
Related Links:
- Mary Todd Lincoln on Wikipedia
- Sally Field on IMDB
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln on Google Books
Source: Newsweek
