Los Angeles, Feb 224 (.) Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is set to portray President Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming film adaptation of ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ from Starburns Industries, Variety confirms.
In addition to starring as the lead, Hanks will produce the project through his Playtone label alongside longtime partner Gary Goetzman. The film is based on George Saunders’ bestselling novel, which Saunders himself is adapting for the screen. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Duke Johnson (Anomalisa) is set to direct and produce.
While Hanks has portrayed numerous real-life figures, from astronaut Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) to pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Sully), Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee (The Post), Fred Rogers (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), and Walt Disney (Saving Mr. Banks), this marks his first time playing a U.S. president.
Unlike many cinematic depictions of Lincoln, which focus on his leadership during the Civil War or his assassination, Lincoln in the Bardo centers on the president’s relationship with his recently deceased 11-year-old son, according to Variety.
The production will combine stop-motion animation and live-action to explore “themes of love, empathy and human capacity in the face of unimaginable grief,” featuring an ensemble cast of characters “both living and dead, historical and invented.”
Producers Duke Johnson, Paul Young, and Devon Young Rabinowitz are heading the project for Starburns Industries, which is the first film to enter production under the studio’s newly announced film fund.
Steven Shareshian, Aaron Mitchell, and Saunders serve as executive producers. Production is scheduled to take place in London. Hanks is represented by CAA and Greenberg Glusker.
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