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“The Conspirator” Trailer
Well, I guess it’s never too early to start planning ahead for next year’s Oscar race, even if we haven’t gotten done with the previous one, yet. I might be a little bit more psyched for this film had it not been Robert Redford’s last directorial misstep, “Lions for Lambs,” a film that was also, at one point, considered an Oscar contender.
To be honest, there’s really not a lot that doesn’t look compelling about this movie. It’s an important and tragic historical tale about one of the most pivotal points in the country’s history. It’s a courtroom drama, with potential for a lot of fiery dialogue and tension. Plus you’ve got a cast of James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Colm Meaney, Kevin Kline, Norman Reedus, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Alexis Bledel, and the legendary Tom Wilkinson.
Whether or not it measures up we won’t know until its arrival. Personally, I’m kind of looking forward to that date.
Check out the trailer, below:
Daniel Day Lewis is Abraham Lincoln…A Match Made in Heaven?
Those who know me are aware that I am an unabashed Spielberg fanatic (a quality considered sinful among most film students). Therefore, I don’t think there is any project that I’ve followed with such veracity as his Lincoln biopic, which has been shelved in Hollywood limbo for nearly a decade.
For a long time all there was to this film was a script by “Munich” scribe Tony Kushner and a lead actor, Liam Neeson. However, shooting dates just kept getting pushed further and further back until Spielberg began to move on to other things. I began to worry that this extraordinary film concept would never come to be.
However, hours ago, Variety Magazine announced that new and quite promising news has surfaced about the epic biography. Two-time Academy Award-winning actor, and perhaps the greatest performer of his generation, Daniel Day Lewis will be taking on the role. Variety also listed that production is confirmed to begin in a year. The film is expected to cover the life of Lincoln throughout the Civil War, throughout his presidency, the freedom of the slaves and up to the man’s assassination.
While this might be a role that Daniel Day Lewis was made to play, as is anything, really, since there’s nothing that man cannot weave into gold, I really can’t help feeling regret that it won’t be Neeson playing the role. DDL probably better matches Lincoln in stature, especially when imagining his gangly form in “Gangs of New York.” However, Liam definitely has a more similar face. Also, it probably would have been an assured Oscar nomination for Neeson, his first in 20 years, possibly a win, not to mention another chance to work with Spielberg since creating their masterpiece together.
Yet, according to the article, Neeson “no longer expressed any interest in the part,” so I guess we roll with the punches and accept the wildly amazing performance that is to come from such a master craftsman like Day Lewis. Perhaps the funnest part about the waiting for this film will be learning of the other casting choices, including Lincoln’s cabinet, all the Civil War generals, and of course, John Wilkes Booth.
The film is slated to be released sometime in the fourth quarter of 2012, roughly 2 years from now. This means that there will be three Spielberg films released before this one even wraps shooting. There’s that ridiculous “Tin Tin” nonsense which I would have begged Steven not to take on….had I known him. That and the WWI drama “War Horse” will both be released in December of next year. Meanwhile, “Robopocalypse” (please God let them change that name) will be shot practically back to back with the Lincoln film. Hopefully, out of all that work, “Lincoln” will not be the one shelved again.
Read the whole Variety article HERE
The Edge of the Frame 