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Spielberg Filming Lincoln Movie After Tintin
May 12, 2008
Source: Variety
by Alex Billington
With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hitting theaters in 10 more days, we're sure to hear a lot from Steven Spielberg over the next few weeks. He's directed films set in 1936, 1944, 1957, 1972, even 2054, but now Spielberg will head all the way back to 1865. After finishing his segment of Tintin this fall, Spielberg will move on to direct Lincoln in 2009. It was initially thought that he might direct The Trial of the Chicago 7 next, but issues with the script have prevented that project from moving forward. Instead, it sounds like Lincoln, a film about the life of our 16th president, will officially be Spielberg's gig film after he finishes Tintin. Are you excited to see the "guy on the penny" come to life on the big screen?
The report comes from a German magazine named FOCUS via Variety. They say that Spielberg could pull off back-to-back schedules like this without a hitch and that the script is strong enough for the film to be fast tracked into production, whereas The Trial of the Chicago 7's script needs more work. Lincoln's screenplay is loosely based on the biography titled "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" written by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. It was adapted by playwright Tony Kushner, who also wrote Munich.
Beyond a good script, Liam Neeson agreed to play Lincoln years ago and is still waiting to start. Almost everything is in place with Lincoln, which is why it makes the most sense for Spielberg to jump onto that film next. I can't exactly say I'm looking forward to seeing a 19th century period film about Abraham Lincoln, who seems to get made fun of (with his beard and top hat) more than accurately portrayed. However, it is Spielberg, so I'm sure it'll be great no matter what. I'll be one to say that he rarely screws up - even I enjoyed War of the Worlds and The Terminal.
As we all know, nothing is truly set in stone in Hollywood until contracts are signed, and until Steven Spielberg is actually shooting, we won't officially claim anything about his future. Although FOCUS confirms this from Spielberg himself, it's still best to hold out until we hear more. Is anyone actually looking forward to Spielberg's Lincoln movie at all?
Special bonus to anyone who can name the movies that were set in those five years mentioned in the opening paragraph.
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- » Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson Taking on Tintin Trilogy!
- » Steven Spielberg Delays The Trial of the Chicago 7?
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- » Indiana Jones IV Won't Be CG Heavy
Reader Feedback - 18 Comments »
1
Looks like Spielberg loves to cover many periods. Not including his indie/ameteur western films from his teens…
1839 Amistad
1935 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1936 Raiders of the Lost Ark
1938 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1939 Schindler's List
1941 1941
1942 Empire of the Sun
1944 Saving Private Ryan
1957 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
1969 Catch Me If You Can
1972 Munich
2054 Minority Report
Bynk on May 12, 2008
2
This will be an amazing movie.
Iron Man Fan on May 12, 2008
3
With Liam *YAWN!* Neeson headlining? No, no, I'm not.
Colin (brother of Mike) Hunt on May 12, 2008
4
Hell yes. Lincoln was the man. Liam Neeson is perfect. The names Speilberg, Neeson, and Lincoln are more than enough to have me interested.
Kelly B. on May 12, 2008
5
BTW, totally off topic and feel free to delete but Warner Brothers bought the rights to make a live action film of the Robotech cartoon which is based on the anime Macross. Tobey Maguire will be producing it under Maguire entertainment:
http://thebraxcave.com/2007/09/07/robotech-live-action-movie/
Depending on the cheesiness factor, this could go really well or really badly.
Glacia on May 12, 2008
6
There should be a crossover scene with George Bush (of Oliver Stone fame) like in the Incredible Hulk (which isn't out yet.) Waka waka ding dong!
DCompose on May 12, 2008
7
I say combine LINCOLN with TINTIN and have the dog ending slavery. It's a clear Oscar contender, then.
Edward Lee on May 12, 2008
8
After seeing this documentary on History Channel on Wilkes-Booth a few years ago, I felt that Matthew McConaughey would be a great J Wilkes-Booth
The Brain on May 12, 2008
9
there is no way you can pass on such an endearing character.
Jont on May 12, 2008
10
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causesme to tremble for the safety of my country……Corporation have been enthronedand an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endevor to prolong it's regn by working upon the prejudices of the people until all the wealth is aggregated in afew hands and the republic is destroyed."
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln nov. 21, 1864.
Nick on May 12, 2008
11
I wonder if this movie will portray Lincoln as the hero-worshipped, high-school history class version or as the historically accurate vile politician that started the most bloody war in the nations history?
Puke on May 12, 2008
12
I am very excited about this. Ive always been interested in Lincoln. I'm just sad that it won't be coming out sooner. But then again, it's not that long of a wait.
Zach D. on May 12, 2008
13
#10 Nick - that is a friggin' crazy quote. Eerie.
I've been looking forward to this film for a loooooong time.
I think Liam Neeson is perfect casting.
Spielberg is a genius and I really like his "historical epic" films i.e. Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich.
Ronald on May 12, 2008
15
I love lincoln so much it hurts….
Jillian on May 13, 2008
16
Puke, what you call historically accurate is more of a generalization. It's slightly more complicated than your claim that he single-handedly started the Civil War and was nothing more than a vile politician.
I'm not saying he didn't play a hand in both areas but you are very wrong in your outlandish generalization with what you call "historically accurate".
You can't place a single label on any person in history, because you'll always leave out something that speaks to the contrary. When you get historically accurate, there are no labels. Just the facts as they are and that's it.
The problem surrounding major figures of history is that there are people so enamoured with the rosey heroic picture that surrounds that figure that they'll worship that figure almost like a God, denying that the figure possesses any faults at all. On the other side of the coin, there are shrill people out there that are so determined to destroy that rosey heroic picture that they'll accept nothing but the bad qualities of a historical figure as fact. Anything at all that makes the historical figure look good is simply made-up lies to them.
The truth of the matter is that both sides are right, as well as wrong. Everybody has their good traits and bad, and Lincoln is no exception. What I look for in Speilberg's film is a very complicated character in the worst position imaginable during America's darkest moments.
Chris H. on May 13, 2008
17
Lincoln was a vile politician. He started a war which killed over 600,000 people in the North and South in order to preserve his protectionist tariff. He used the money to pay for railroads and other "internal improvements" in the North. In 1861 Congress passed the Morrill tariff, which raised the tariff rate from 15 percent to 37.5 percent. Later a second tariff would raise the rate to 47.06 percent. This tariff on manufactured goods increased the cost of just about everything Southeners needed and since the South was dependent on trade with Europe, it could not pass the tax increase to consumers because competition in the European markets was fierce. The tariff produced 90 percent of the federal government's revenue and 80 percent of the tariff revenue came from the South. The North was essentially using the government to plunder the South.
In his first inagural address, Lincoln threatened to invade any State which did not collect this tariff: "The power confided in me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property, and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion–no using force against, or among the people anywhere."
Slavery in the South was never in jeopardy. In a debate with Stephen Douglass, Lincoln said he would not interfere with Southern slavery and thought it Constitutional. He even supported the original 13th admendment which would have prevented the federal government from ever interfering with slavery and said so in his first inaugural address. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 did not free any slaves in Union territory, only those lands which "were in rebellion to the Union".
Not only did Lincoln start a war without the consent of congress, he also shut down newspapers in the North that did not support him; suspended the writ of habeus corpus and imprisoned dissenters; issued an arrest warrant for Chief Justice Rober B. Taney after Taney warned Lincoln his actions were unconstitutional; rigged elections in New York during the 1864 election, using federal troops to intimidate supporters of the Democrats; approved of the war crimes committed by Generals Sherman and Sheridan against Southern civilians; "imprisoned some twenty duly elected members of the Maryland state legislature, the mayor of Baltimore, and Congressman Henry May in violation of the constitutional requirement that the federal government assure that the states have a republican form of government; imprisoned and then deported the most outspoken member of the Democratic Party opposition, Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio; systematically disarmed the border states in violation of the Second Amendment; and confiscated private property." (quotation from Thomas DiLorenzo)
These are facts about Lincoln of which most Americans are ignorant. For a detailed treatment of these facts, read Thomas DiLorenzo's The Real Lincoln or his later book, Lincoln Unmasked. There's also Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Freemen by Jeffrey Hummel and When in the Course of Human Events by Charles Adams. For a book about Lincoln's war on the press, there's Lincoln's Wrath by Jeffrey Manber and Neil Dahlstrom. You can also visit the King Lincoln archives at LewRockwell.com:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/lincoln-arch.html.
Ace on May 16, 2008
18
This stuff about the war being over tariffs is a complete fabrication, as is the claim that Lincoln never cared about slavery. Pure baloney.
I have been checking the supposed quotations that DiLorenzo uses in his books, and every one I have checked so far (about 20) is either a) an outright fabrication b) falsely attributed or c) has been edited to change or even reverse the original meaning.
Jared Israel on May 29, 2008