It's rare for any actor, male or female, to stay attached to a stalling project for as long time as three and a half years but from the looks of things two-time Oscar winner Sally Field has done just that for Steven Spielberg's long-gestating biopic of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. First cast in September 2007 as Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of the President for the then Liam Neeson led project, Dreamworks have just typed up a press release announcing that she is still on board the historical drama, where Great Abe is now set to be led by Daniel Day-Lewis. Now 64 years old, the role for Fields is a late prestige part for an actress whose peak was in the late 70's/early 80's - though my generation probably knows her best from commercial 90's fare Mrs. Doubtfire and Forest Gump. Of course last year she won the part of Aunt May in the new Spider-Man reboot, so she was already set for a big screen comeback next year. Spielberg says of the casting;
Im excited to be working with Sally for the first time... Ive admired her films, and she has always been my first choice to portray all the fragility and complexity that was Mary Todd Lincoln.
Honestly, we are just delighted that another cast member is on board and Spielberg/Dreamworks are still talking about shooting this in Chicago this fall and the beardo director hasn't had a last minute change of heart as he has done in the past anytime Lincoln looked like it was getting serious. Based on Tony Kushners (Munich) adaptation of the best-selling book Team of Rivals by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin 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. Meanwhile, Spielberg is readying War Horse (Dec 23rd) and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (December 28th) for release this year, though we will be shocked if one of those movies doesn't move from December soon. Why would Spielberg compete against himself with two films released so closely together?