According to Variety and some of those other stuffy, but legitimate news source, Steven Spielberg’s long planned Abe Lincoln biopic is gaining steam. What makes this story worth typing is that he’s actually thinking about casting, and Steve has only one man in mind for his stove pipe hat.
The Spiel is looking to hire foreigner Liam Neeson to play America’s greatest president, a move which probably won’t raise nearly as much uproar as the thought of a non-American playing Superman. People hate history. Superheroes are more important.
Based on the biography, “The Uniter: The Genius of Lincoln”, the movie will likely focus on Lincoln’s time in the White House rather than his time spent in a log cabin. Presumably, it’ll also cast him in a pretty good light, since he’s the most beloved president in history and also the book’s title seems kind of gushy since it calls him a genius. In addition to having a great beard, Lincoln freed some slaves en route to kicking the ass of the South. Some people are of the opinion that the slave freeing was completely incidental and that Lincoln just hated southern accents, but personally I think Lincoln was all about hating cotton.
Neeson, despite being born in the wrong country, seems an ideal choice for the lanky, bearded wonder. With all the well-earned heat he’s getting over his amazing performance in Kinsey, the man has his pick of projects, so only time will tell if the one he picks will be this one.
