November 25, 2012

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is one of the best acted, best written, best directed movies of the year. With a script by Tony Kushner, which is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, this film puts history in the right perspective and shows a view of the man and his politics that we have not seen before. Still this is not an action film but rather a dialogue-driven one and therefore it will not be a film for the masses. Audiences must be attentive to every word of the script and in every nuance of the telling. This is something younger audiences as a whole will not be willing to do.

The film focuses on the few months when Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) was trying to end the war and was also striving to get the 13th Amendment passed. He knew he had the backing of the Republicans but he needed twenty Democrats. This was a do at all costs proposal and if it took twisting a few arms and awarding some patronage he was all for it.

The measure was being driven by Thaddeus Stephens (Tommy Lee Jones), who had dedicated most of his political life to seeing the end of slavery. The President was aided by a host of helpers including W. N. Bilbo (James Spader), Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook), James Ashley (David Costabile) and many others. His biggest supporter was his wife Mary (Sally Field).

Read whole article - huffingtonpost.com

October 18, 2012

Steven Spielberg has always wanted to tell Lincoln’s story, but says he has never done a movie like it before.

Spielberg took more than 10 years to research his film about Abraham Lincoln. He wanted to get it just right because he’s always wanted to tell the story of America’s 16th president. It’s a story of leadership and healing, both relevant topics in today’s world.

“I’ve always wanted to tell a story about Lincoln. I saw a paternal father figure, someone who was completely, stubbornly committed to his ideals, his vision,” he tells Stahl. “I think the film is very relevant for today. It’s about leadership.”

The film covers a four-month period of Lincoln’s presidency in which he is absorbed with trying to get Congress to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.

It follows the political process closely and accurately portrays a drama few have heard about from the last four months of Lincoln’s life.

Read whole article - wtvr.com

October 12, 2012

After previous Academy Award victories for My Left Foot (1989) and There Will Be Blood (2007), Day-Lewis is now a shoo-in to win for Lincoln. He'll soon be just one statuette shy of four-time champ Katharine Hepburn.



Lincoln was screened Thursday night in Los Angeles for various Oscar bloggers, who seemed to agree that this is no War Horse - Steven Spielberg's big Oscar disappointment of last year. His Lincoln rules the screen with authority. It seems like a cinch to be nominated for Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Sally Field) and Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner), in addition to Best Actor. There's also an excellent chance that Tommy Lee Jones is nominated as firebrand abolitionist Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and that Spielberg's usual team of craftsman will probably score nods too: composer John Williams, film editor Michael Kahn and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. It also may reap bids for art direction and costumes.

Personally, I was leery that Day-Lewis could pull off this role, which requires warmth, wit and subtly from an actor who usually slices through celluloid like Bill the Butcher (Gangs of New York). Recently, he ruined Nine by doing his usual big, brooding angst routine instead of laying on Guido's impish charm. In Lincoln, however, he holds back. He's still brooding, but only so far as to deliver Abe's notorious melancholy, then adding the man's heart, authority and devilish streak. He's so damned good, it's creepy -- you really believe this is Abe. Honest.

Read whole article - huffingtonpost.com

September 17, 2012


Anthony Wiktor - starmenusa.com

September 14, 2012

August 27, 2012

August 20, 2012

July 20, 2012

The much-anticipated Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln will open Nov. 9, a date chosen to come after the presidential election. Earlier this year, Spielberg announced a release sometime in November but not before the election for fear that his movie would become political fodder.

The movie will open at a limited number of theaters but will be more widely available beginning Nov. 16, according to news reports.

In interviews this year, Spielberg said “Lincoln” is not a battlefield movie, although there will be battle scenes in it. It is instead tightly focused on the last four months of Lincoln’s life and the political achievements of that period, he said.

Source - washingtonpost.com

May 6, 2012

Tommy Lee Jones is not an easy man to impress. That said, the praise he laid upon Daniel Day-Lewis, his co-star in Steven Spielberg‘s upcoming Lincoln, is very exciting. Jones, who is something of a history expert, said no one has ever portrayed Lincoln as well as Day-Lewis does in this film.

I don’t think Daniel ever loses himself but I don’t think President Lincoln has ever been portrayed as well. He’s read his history, he’s read his books – Daniel has – and his Lincoln is a country boy who also happens to be a brilliant lawyer and a poet. This is not a Lincoln that’s just stepped off the dollar bill or just arisen from the Lincoln Monument. This is not the icon or the hero and he’s not the joke of the old ‘Honest Abe’ nonesense. This is a real man and I don’t think Lincoln has ever been done as well.

He also commented about his character, which is a relatively small part and only took three weeks of filming:

The character I play is Thaddeus Stevens. He was the head of the Ways and Means Committee in the ’50s. He was a Republican, which was the left side of the political spectrum in those days. He was looked upon as a radical because it was his opnion, and he was vocal about it, that no human being should be the chattel of another and that was looked upon as crazy. I loved playing Thaddeus Stevens for that reason. But also because he had a club food and alopecia. Those are exciting things for an actor who likes manners.

Source - slashfilm.com

February 7, 2012


Read whole interview on collider.com

January 24, 2012

What’s it like to work on Lincoln movie with someone like Daniel Day Lewis, who lives in the character that he’s playing?

GOGGINS: There are so many actors that approach the work that way, from Forest Whitaker to Ed Harris to [Robert] Duvall to Chris Cooper. They’re everywhere. On a lot of people’s lists, Daniel is probably the best actor of his generation, and two subsequent generations. He’s that specific. What it does for me is it reminds me of how important this is. It’s nice to have that daily, almost minute-by-minute, reminder. This isn’t just a story about Lincoln. We’re not just doing another story about Lincoln. This is Steven Spielberg doing a story about one of the most flawed men, who is also one of the greatest men, and certainly one of the greatest presidents we’ve ever had, and feeling the weight that he was under and what was going on in this country. It was the schism that forever changed this country. So, when you have an actor that approaches the work that way, you show up to work every day with your A-game.

Who are you playing in the film?

GOGGINS: I play a congressman whose real name is Wells Hutchins, and he was a Democrat out of Ohio. The movie is about a lot of different things. It’s about Lincoln, and it’s about his relationship with his cabinet, but it’s also a story about the passage of the 13th Amendment. In order to pass the 13th Amendment, Lincoln needed a certain amount of Democratic congressmen to vote for it, or it wouldn’t have been bipartisan, and he needed the 13th Amendment to pass. So, I play a pivotal role in that part of the story.

Read whole interview on collider.com

December 24, 2011



Source - wtvr.com

December 21, 2011

December 1, 2011

Daniel Day-Lewis will play our 16th President and we know he's a full-on method actor. I saw a tweet the other day mention that apparently Day-Lewis hasn't broken his accent since March, or something to that effect. I've been waiting for a first look and here we are - this should instantly make you go "whoa!" A photo is making the rounds (via Richmond/SlashFilm) of Day-Lewis out dining with the full-on beard.


Source - firstshowing.net

November 17, 2011

The cast continues to grow, even while it's shooting. Cast already features the likes of Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, John Hawkes, Hal Holbrook and David Strathairn, but you can toss David Oyelowo on that list too, as he'll play a cavalryman in the film, which is currently shooting in Virginia.


Source - firstshowing.net

November 6, 2011

Filming is already underway in Richmond for the Steven Spielberg movie about the last days of Abraham Lincoln and production is expected to move to Petersburg next month.

Parts of Richmond - particularly the Capitol area and parts of downtown - are already being transformed to a Civil War setting as directing icon Spielberg and his cast and crew have made the Richmond area home while filming. The movie's footprint spans the Richmond metro area, from Hanover County to Petersburg, and filming is expected to run through December.

Spielberg said in a statement this year that the "remarkable period architecture found in Richmond and Petersburg make central Virginia the ideal location for this production."

The estimated $35 million in direct spending that the film is expected to bring in has started to trickle down. In Richmond, local businesses are feeling the presence of Hollywood.

And that should be coming to Petersburg in December. Filming in Petersburg is expected to be concentrated in the Old Towne area near the historic Farmer's Market building at 9 East Old St, and the Union Train Station on River Street, according to Kevin Kirby, Petersburg's director of tourism.

Also, parts of River Street and Sycamore Street could be used in the film production, Kirby said. Originally, filming was also going to take place at Centre Hill Mansion, but those plans have been dropped, he said.

Spielberg's production crew is expected to be in Petersburg in early December to start work on transforming parts of Old Towne into what the city would have looked like in 1865. "When filming people will be to see what a 19th century Petersburg street will look like," Kirby said.

There are expected to be three days of active filming and those could be as long as 18-hour days, Kirby said.

Although an exact schedule has not been determined, it's likely that filming will be going in the second week of December, Kirby said.

Source - progress-index.com

October 15, 2011

Steven Spielberg's new movie "Lincoln," which began filming less than a week ago in Richmond, is expected generate quite a bit of money for the city and the state.

In fact, the Virginia Film Office's Rita McClenny says over the next weeks, the city will reap the economic benefits that come with snagging the massive project.

"People are staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants, renting care, buying goods and services from Virginia businesses," said McClenny. Additionally, McClenny says once the film is released, Virginia will likely see a boost in tourism.


The community is also buzzing after some folks spotted celebrities like Sally Field and Daniel Day Lewis, who plays Abraham Lincoln, in Churchill and dining at some notable city restaurants.

"Lincoln" will be shot in various locations including on part of Capitol Square and in Petrsburg.

The film is based on the book “Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin and includes Lincoln's visit to Richmond after the fall of the Confederacy in 1865 shortly before he was assassinated.

Source - wtvr.com

October 2, 2011

A last casting call is giving locals the chance to get a job as an extra for Steven Spielberg's high profile biopic about President Abraham Lincoln, which will be shot in Petersburg and Richmond.

"We still have hundreds of paid jobs available, especially for African-Americans," said Billy Dowd, casting director for extras.

Filming for the project - with a working title of "Office Seekers" - is expected to begin within the next couple of weeks and last until December, but the exact dates and locations remain a secret. "With the casting wrapping up, you can tell that they will start filming soon," said Mary Nelson, communications director with the Virginia Film Office.

Nelson had no further comment, referring to a public relations specialist for the Spielberg company DreamWorks, who will arrive in the area this week.

More details on progress-index.com

October 2, 2011

Next week, Gov. Bob McDonnell will host members of the Hollywood crew filming a movie about former President Abraham Lincoln in Virginia at his official state residence in Richmond. McDonnell mentioned the gathering during a radio interview Thursday morning.

He said those in attendance at the private Governor's Mansion reception Monday evening would include director Steven Spielberg, and actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field, cast as Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, respectively.

A spokesman for McDonnell later said Spielberg and his production team are expected be present during the welcome event at the Governor's Mansion, but the headlining actors won't be there.

Last spring, state officials announced a $4.6 million package of tax credits and other incentives used to lure the production to Virginia. Public funds awarded are tied to the number of Virginia workers hired and local goods and services purchased by a production operation.

Filming for the movie -- its based on the book "Team of Rivals" -- is to occur in Richmond and Petersburg this fall.

Source - hamptonroads.com

September 21, 2011

Steven Spielberg has been talking about/promising to make a movie about Abraham Lincoln for years. And for years, he had Liam Neeson, his “Schindler’s List” star, on board to play the president.

Now, he’s packing his bags for Virginia — Richmond and environs — to shoot “Lincoln,” which is based on a recent best seller by one of America’s most popular historians. He will own this holiday season, thanks to the big screen versions of “War Horse” and “Tintin,” the two movies America’s most successful movie maker ever has due out around Christmas.

He is shooting “Lincoln” in Richmond because “a lot of the buildings there, government buildings, look like Washington looked back during the Civil War.”

His “Lincoln” is “not a battlefield movie,” Spielberg says. “There are battles in it, and being in Virginia, we have access to those historic battlefields. It is really a movie about the great work Abraham Lincoln did in the last months of his life.

“We’re basing it on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, ‘Team of Rivals,’ but we’re only focusing in on the last four months of Abraham Lincoln’s life.

“The movie will be purposely coming out AFTER next year’s election. I didn’t want it to become political fodder.”

Source - blogs.orlandosentinel.com

September 9, 2011

Casting agents for director Steven Spielberg's movie about Abraham Lincoln, parts of which will be filmed in Richmond and Petersburg, are looking for extras, and will hold a casting call Sept. 15.

Agents are looking for African-American and white men to portray Union and Confederate soldiers, delegates, contraband slaves and citizens of all classes circa 1865. They are also looking for white men who play an orchestral instrument and African-American men younger than 40 who are adept at horseback riding.

African-American and white women with shoulder length (or longer) hair of natural color and with dress sizes 6 to 12 are needed to portray contraband slaves, White House staff (and more) and citizens of all classes.

The casting call will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. Third St. Individuals must be 18 or older and should bring a recent non-returnable photo. Anyone who has attended previous open calls need not attend.

Filming begins in October.

Source - timesdispatch.com

April 14, 2011

Sally Field will star as Mary Todd Lincoln in DreamWorks’ “Lincoln," the studio announced on Wednesday.

As previously reported, Daniel Day-Lewis has been tapped to play her husband; a marginally significant president named Abraham Lincoln. 

Steven Spielberg is directing the biopic from a script by Tony Kushner. The project is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Pulitzer Prize winning book "Team of Rivals." 

"I'm excited to be working with Sally for the first time,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I've admired her films and she has always been my first choice to portray all the fragility and complexity that was Mary Todd Lincoln."

Field has been attached to the project for several years, but after original star Liam Neeson exited the film, it wasn't clear if Field would remain on board. 

Source - thewrap.com

November 20, 2010

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.

Source - blogs.indiewire.com