Tom Hanks stakes a claim as one of the greatest actors of this generation, and he shows no signs of slowing down after winning two Oscar awards, seven Golden Globes, and countless other accomplishments. In recent years, he has played major roles in hit movies like Elvis (2022) and The Phoenician Scheme (2024). He is also set to return to action in 2025 when he voices the toy cowboy Woody for a fifth time on the big screen in Toy Story 5, which will reunite him with Tim Allen for another high-action adventure under Disney and Pixar.
Now, Hanks has his next major movie appearance set, giving him a chance to dive deep into U.S. history for his newest role. As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Hanks will portray Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, in an adaptation of author George Saunders’ best-selling novel, Lincoln in the Bardo (Saunders also wrote the script). Duke Johnson will direct the movie from Starburns Industries, and it will be a hybrid of live-action and stop-motion animation (Hanks’ portrayal of President Lincoln will be live-action).
In 2024, Hamish Linklater brought Lincoln to life in the Apple TV+ series Manhunt, which adapted a version of the story centered on the hunt for John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln’s assassination. Arguably the most popular portrayal of Lincoln came in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, released in 2012, in which Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed the President based on the depiction delivered in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Day-Lewis won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Actor with this role, and the film won the award for Best Production Design and was nominated for 13 awards overall. At time of writing, there is no production or release timeframe for Tom Hanks’ Lincoln in the Bardo, and no other cast members are confirmed either.
What to Expect From Tom Hanks’ Lincoln
Looking at the events of George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo book, the story take place during and after the death of Lincoln’s son, William Wallace “Willy” Lincoln, who passed away in 1862 at age 11 after a battle with typhoid fever. While Lincoln also lost two of his other children at young ages, Willy’s death impacted President Lincoln particularly hard, sending him into a major bout of grief during the heart of the Civil War.
This movie could deliver the most emotional look at the USA’s 16th President yet, even after 2012’s Lincoln brought such a deep and profound look at him throughout the final four months of his life in early 1965. Although it is still unclear how much of Lincoln’s life will be covered in the plot, the emotions of losing his son while running the country during one of the most tumultuous times in American history is sure to bring plenty of drama.
Hanks is faced with a tall order in bringing this beloved U.S. President to life on the big screen, who has already been portrayed successfully multiple times over. However, considering Hanks’ resume and the respect he has in this generation of actors, the Forrest Gump star should have a golden opportunity to redefine the American icon for a new class of fans.
- Birthdate
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July 9, 1956
- Birthplace
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Concord, California, USA
- Birthname
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Thomas Jeffrey Hanks
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
