Tom Hanks is set to portray the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, in Duke Johnson’s upcoming live-action/stop-motion hybrid film “Lincoln in the Bardo,” based on George Saunders’ New York Times bestseller and 2017 Booker Prize–winning novel.
In the film, Hanks will bring Lincoln to life in a live-action performance. Production is scheduled to take place in London. Saunders is adapting his novel for the screen, and the project is further bolstered by Johnson—who previously helmed “Anomalisa”—serving as director.
“Lincoln in the Bardo” blends stop-motion animation with live action to depict an intensely personal moment in Abraham Lincoln’s life, focusing on his grief following the death of his 11-year-old son. Told via an ensemble of living and dead, historical and imagined figures.
Johnson has directed only two films in his career, one of which—“Anomalisa”—he co-helmed with Charlie Kaufman. His other film, and most recent, “The Actor,” was released last year and earned mixed reviews following a truncated theatrical rollout via Neon, after the project was significantly delayed due to reshoots.
Hanks had this incredible streak of performances and films starting in 1988 but ending in 2002. During these decades, Hanks was untouchable: he received five Oscar nominations and won the Best Actor statuette twice. Not many Hollywood actors can really top what Hanks did between 1988 and 2002: “Big,” “A League of Their Own,” “Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump,” “Apollo 13,” “Toy Story 1 & 2,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Green Mile,” “Cast Away,” “Road to Perdition,” and “Catch Me If You Can.”
In fact, he’s only received a single Oscar nomination since that streak ended. Then again, he wasn’t even recognized for his great work in “Road to Perdition,” “Captain Phillips,” “Bridge of Spies,” and Sully.”
This current decade, Hanks has appeared in “Greyhound,” “News of the World,” “Finch,” “Elvis,” “A Man Called Otto,” “Asteroid City,” and “Here.”
“Hope,” Na’s first film in ten years — his last one being the exemplary “The Wailing” —is a gloriously messy, blood-soaked sci-fi epic that may become a cult classic despite—or because of—its polarizing nature.