Joaquin Phoenix Interested in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The twice Oscar nominated Joaquin Phoenix is looking to make his return to legitimate acting and what better way to do that then to do it teaching the President of the United States how to hunt down vampires?

Last week saw the casting of Benjamin Walker into the role of the 16th America President in the adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and now there’s a chance that the less-bearded Joaquin Phoenix will join him as his immortal mentor and teacher of the vampire hunting ways.

Deadline has the exclusive on Phoenix who is seeking to return to acting after his viral and strange stint in creating the not-really-entertaining I’m Still Here. He’s reportedly met with the studio about the project and is very interested.

The adaptation of the Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2010 novel will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov and so far stars Benjamin Walker in the title role.

The story of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is written as a serious biography based on a fictional collection of secret diaries by Honest Abe. As a kid, Lincoln learns of their existance from his father and seeks them out throughout the years after learning that his mother’s death was actually caused by vampire’s blood.

In an eventual confrontation with a vampire, Lincoln is about to die but is saved by another vampire named Henry Sturges, a role previously offered to current Hollywood buzz topic Tom Hardy. Sturges befriends Lincoln and teaches him about the species, how not all of them are evil, and most importantly, how to combat them… with an axe.

The novel, which recieved rather mixed reviews from critics, follows the secret adventures of Lincoln through the years to hunt down the “evil,” vampires as he crosses paths with several other important historical figures, including Edgar Allen Poe (who also knows about the existance of vampires).

The role for which Phoenix is interested in is for Henry Sturges and I can certainly picture him as Lincoln’s vampire sidekick. I’d love to see his talents on screen in another period piece, and this role may be that perfect opportunity.

Share your thoughts in the comments and with us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is scheduled to release in theaters on June 22, 2012.

Source: Deadline

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Will Eric Bana Get Elected ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’?

Honest Abe Lincoln made quite the name for himself – born in a one-room log cabin to a poor family from Kentucky and eventually becoming the 16th President of the U.S.A. It is (ahem) now known that he was also skilled at killing blood-sucking immortals, as his secret diaries reveal in Seth Grahame-Smith’s hit novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Timur Bekmambetov of Wanted and Night Watch fame is directing the big screen adaptation of Smith’s novel, which could end up featuring Australian actor Eric Bana as the titular vampire-slaying American politician himself.

The Wrap says that Bana is scheduled to meet with Bekmambetov about the lead part in his Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter adaptation, which has already been scripted by Smith and is being produced by Tim Burton. Tom Hardy was previously approached to play the role of Henry Sturges – who, in Smith’s book, is a vampire that saves young Lincoln’s life and teaches him how to properly hunt and kill creatures of the night – but Bana is the first name to pop up as a serious contender for the part of the former President himself.

Fox has scheduled a summer 2012 release date for the film, which is budgeted at $69 million and will be a 3D affair. That hopefully means Bekmambetov will actually shoot Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in the 3D format since:

There’s not yet been a case in which a live-action movie converted to 3D during post-production looked more than adequate – generally the footage just appears blurred and muddled.Bekmambetov’s previous films have all featured hyper-stylized action sequences and the kind of visual wizardry that virtually jumps off the screen in regular 2D – much less the third dimension. Bekmambetov's 'Wanted' was all about the stylish action.

Bana is no stranger to big-budget action fare, having previously starred in pics like Hulk, Troy, and last year’s Star Trek reboot as well. While the actor does not hail from the U.S. himself, he does bear a slight physical resemblance to the 6' 4” Lincoln – more so in terms of height (Bana is 6' 3”) than build. Donning the traditional Lincoln beard, top hat, and suit might give Bana more of the refined, stream-lined look that just about every picture and portrait of the real Honest Abe indicates he had.

London-born thespian Daniel Day-Lewis will play Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming biopic about the president, which will take far fewer (*cough*) creative liberties with the truth about the man’s life than Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. We know Lewis can certainly look the part of the 16th President (he essentially already did in Gangs of New York), but perhaps Bekmambetov’s Lincoln movie calls for a more (*double cough*) physically robust version of the man – one who seems capable of taking out powerful, supernatural monsters with pretty much his bare hands, that is.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is scheduled to attack theaters on June 22nd, 2012, so production will begin in the first half of 2011. Expect to hear a big name officially sign on to play the warrior U.S. President himself in the near future.

Source: The Wrap

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‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Trailer: Matthew McConaughey is a Backseat Lawyer

Even if you read movie news regularly you may not have heard of The Lincoln Lawyer, an upcoming legal drama/thriller starring Matthew McConaughey. The film has flown under the radar for the most part, with our last report on it being way back in October 2009.

We reported then that Tommy Lee Jones was attached to direct and star in the film, but evidently that didn’t work out. He apparently left the project late last year over “creative differences on the script.”

The Lincoln Lawyer was instead directed by Brad Furman (The Take) and stars McConaughey as a lawyer who, in rather unorthodox fashion, represents his clients out of the back of his limo. One day he snags the case of a lifetime: to represent a high-profile Hollywood playboy who has been charged with murder. The film is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Michael Connelly.

To give is our first official look at The Lincoln Lawyer, Lionsgate has released the first teaser trailer which indicates that the film will mix (dark) comedy with tense drama and thrills. Check it out below:

You can watch the trailer in HD over at Yahoo.

Back in October, former Screen Rant writer Scott Miller speculated that we’d see McConaughey in one of three performance modes in this film: the guy about to quit; the slacker who enjoys his professionally unimpressive life with a devil-may-care charm; or the guy who endearingly can’t catch a break no matter how hard he tries. But as it turns out McConaughey is not really playing any of those types, instead entering into a more serious mode than we’re used to seeing him in.

Well, maybe he’s channeling the devil-may-care charm mode just a bit but can that can’t really be helped - he’s Matthew McConaughey!

I tend to really like films of this sort – ones with “edgy” subject matter and the tension cranked up to 11. Of course, I’m judging things purely by this first trailer - the film could turn out to be different from what I’m expecting. You just never know until you see the finished movie.

What The Lincoln Lawyer does have going for it is the stellar cast of recognizable faces – some you’ll know right away while others you’ll be trying to place. Aside from McConaughey the cast includes Ryan Phillippe (MacGruber), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler), John Leguizamo (Land of the Dead), William H. Macy (Fargo), Michael Peña (Crash) and Josh Lucas (Stealth).

We may need to wait for a full theatrical trailer to be released to fully get a grasp of the feel/tone of the film but right now it’s looking very solid indeed.

The Lincoln Lawyer is scheduled to hit theaters on March 18th, 2011.

Source: Yahoo

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Daniel Day-Lewis To Play Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’

Remember that Steven Spielberg Abraham Lincoln biopic that was on the way? Remember that Liam Neeson was set to play Lincoln but ultimately dropped out?

Well, Spielberg’s Lincoln may have seemed like a fading prospect – until today, that is. DreamWorks has announced that Academy Award-winner (and arguably the best actor alive), Daniel Day-Lewis will be stepping in to take on the role America’s controversial 16th president.

Here is the official press announcement issued by DreamWorks, starting with a quote from Spielberg himself:

“Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema’s distant future. I am grateful and inspired that our paths will finally cross with Lincoln.”

Stacey Snider, Co-Chariman and CEO of DreamWorks had this to add:

“He has been exceptionally selective in his choice of material…which makes us feel even more fortunate that he has chosen to join with us for ‘Lincoln.’”

The script for the film will be based on the popular book Team of Rivals by Pulitzer Prize-winner Doris Kearns Goodwin; the screenplay was first  scribed by John Logan (The Last Samurai) and Paul Webb, with a revision having been done by Tony Kushner (Angels In America, Munich). The story will reportedly focus on “[Lincoln's] anguish over the length and toll of the Civil War.”; I would suspect that a larger meditation on the state of a divided nation at war will also be included,  considering how that topic resonates with the American political climate of the last decade or so…

Lewis is no stranger to Civil War-era fashion

On the subject of Daniel Day-Lewis playing Abraham Lincoln – what else is there to say besides “Awesome,” and “See you at the Oscars”? If anything, I feel truly surprised that it’s taken this long for an actor of Day-Lewis’ caliber to work with a director of Spielberg’s caliber. But maybe all things unfold in their destined time frames…we’ll see.

I now expect huge things from this particular biopic – though I also worry that this combination of star/director power might completely overshadow Robert Redford’s Abraham Lincoln project, The Conspirator, which focuses on the trials of those who conspired in the president’s eventual assassination.

Spielberg’s Lincoln is expect to start filming next fall for a targeted release during the holiday season of 2012.

Source: Dreamworks

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