Director Steven Spielberg is still working harder than ever and despite approaching 70, the legend is showing no signs of stopping. His next film to go in front of cameras will be his long coming biopic of Lincoln and he is assembling quite a cast for it.
The chameleon-like David Strathairn has joined as William Seward, Lincoln’s Secretary of State, a man who was a core member of Lincoln’s wartime cabinet. Strathairn is a great actor and it’s only in the latter half of his career that he has received recognition.
If you’re unaware of his talents, you need to look no further than the brilliant work in Good Night, and Good Luck, which gave him an Oscar nomination. He was also the only bearable, understated element of the otherwise hideously overrated HBO movie Temple Grandin, which he rightly won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor. However, his best role for my money came in the late 90’s where he played the slimy, entrepreneur Pierce Patchett in L.A. Confidential.
With Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field headlining as Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, they will receive some stellar support from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes and Strathairn, among others.
He will join the rest of the cast as they begin shooting in Virginia this fall, with a screenplay written by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner. Lincoln will be released in the latter half of 2012 through the Disney/Touchstone label aiming for some Oscar contention.
Spielberg has two releases coming to theatres this year. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn will arrive in October 26th in the UK and December 23rd in the US, while his hotly tipped awards contender War Horse will arrive on December 28th.
Source: Deadline
