Spielberg's Lincoln movie to film in US
2011-05-05 19:53
Richmond - Steven Spielberg will shoot a biographical film of Abraham Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the state of Virginia, elated officials announced Wednesday.
Principal filming is scheduled to begin this fall at various historical locations in Petersburg and Richmond, the former capital of the southern Confederacy, which seceded from the North. The film is scheduled for release in 2012. Sally Field will play Mary Todd Lincoln.
The Virginia Film Office said Spielberg, who has filmed twice before in Virginia, selected those two cities because of the abundance of historic properties that date to the period. The state also offered financial incentives totalling nearly $5m.
Remarkable
"Virginia is just teeming with historic heritage," said Mary Nelson, a spokesperson for the film office. "We just have wonderful architecture."
The film is based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals, a 2005 best-seller that examines Lincoln's presidency and the Civil War, which ended slavery. Tony Kushner will write the screenplay.
Asked to size up the Spielberg production, Nelson said, "Is it the most important? I don't know, but it certainly is going to be one of the most remarkable."