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James McAvoy May Star in Redford's Lincoln Movie

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:30:58 -0700

Can there ever be too much James McAvoy news in one day? I think not. Especially when one news item pairs the adorable actor up with Seth Rogen and another item has him possibly acting in a movie directed by Robert Redford. Titled The Conspirator, Redford's film is described as an indie historical drama about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Interestingly, though, the project will be focused on a woman: Mary Surratt, the alleged conspirator of assassin John Wilkes Booth. Here's more on the woman's story:

Surratt's is a compelling story. A Washington D.C. boardinghouse owner who sympathized with the Confederates, she was allegedly part of the plot to kill Lincoln, supplying Wilkes Booth and his accomplice David Herold weapons at her tavern after the assassin had shot the president at Ford's Theater.

Surratt's son John was also alleged to be part of the conspiracy. Mary Surratt was eventually convicted and hanged for conspiring to kill the president; her son went on the lam and eventually was put on trial but was never convicted, living until 1916.

The pic will also center on a young Union hero named Frederick Aiken who was appointed to defend Mary Surratt, and who comes to believe that the widow is innocent.

McAvoy is reportedly at the top of a list of potential actors for one of the lead roles, though no news yet on who will play the conspiratorial leading lady. I have loved seeing McAvoy in period pieces (Atonement and Becoming Jane, particularly) so this should be good. Now we just need to know who will take the main female role - any suggestions on who should play Mary Surratt?

Separated at Birth: Three Lincoln-Related Projects

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:37:52 -0700

Apparently, this is the year for Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. Much of Hollywood seems to be fascinated with the legendary president and his assassin right now, with a biopic and a HBO miniseries already in the works. Now, there's a Showtime series in development that would focus on Booth and his brothers - a dysfunctional family drama of sorts that I'm guessing ends with a president shot dead.

I'm having trouble keeping these various projects straight in my mind. Should I care most about Lincoln himself, how his assassin got caught, or how his killer came to be a presidential shooter in the first place? Here's a handy chart to help you decide:


Name	The Booths	Team of Rivals	Manhunt
Medium	TV (Showtime)	Film	TV (HBO)
Stars	To be determined	Liam Neeson (Lincoln), Sally Field (Mary Todd Lincoln)	To be determined
Focus	John Wilkes Booth and his two dysfunctional brothers	Lincoln himself	"Lesser-known players" in the hunt for Lincoln's killer
Hollywood "Big Name"	Executive Producer Kevin Bacon	Director Steven Spielberg	Writers David Simon and Tom Fontana
Book Inspiration	None	Team of Rivals	Manhunt
Presumed Outcome	Lincoln dies	Lincoln dies	Lincoln dies

Source and Source

HBO Developing Miniseries About Lincoln's Killing

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:32:20 -0700

From the network that brought you John Adams - and the writers who brought you urban strife - comes this: HBO is developing a miniseries about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hunt for his killer, to be written by David Simon of The Wire and Tom Fontana of Oz.

The miniseries is based on the best-selling book Manhunt, about the Lincoln shooting and the 12-day hunt for his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Simon and Fontana are writing the script together.

Fontana is reportedly something of a Lincoln assassination buff, with "hundreds of books" about the shooting. Simon, too, is fascinated with the shooting. According to Broadcasting & Cable, they intend to explore it through the eyes of lesser-known players. The book was originally optioned for an action movie starring Harrison Ford, but the option expired and HBO snapped up the rights. Don't expect this miniseries to have the same tone a big-screen adaptation would have: "I don't do action," Simon told B&C.

Have any of you history/Lincoln buffs read this book? Do you think it's a story made for an HBO miniseries?

Source

Sally Field, Liam Neeson Set for Spielberg-Helmed Lincoln Biopic

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:30:00 -0700

In a recent article, Newsweek randomly announced that Sally Field will play Mary Todd Lincoln and Liam Neeson will play Abraham Lincoln in a biopic directed by Steven Spielberg. The casting news was included in a piece about the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s special exhibit, “Mary Todd Lincoln: First Lady of Controversy,” which explores the possibility that Mary Todd Lincoln may have suffered from mental illness.

Newsweek states that Spielberg's project will be based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Of course, production will have to wait until filming wraps on the fourth Indiana Jones movie, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Personally, I'm excited for this. I don't think Field has had a complex, meaty film role in many years, and I look forward to seeing her on the big screen again, even if she doesn't think she has time for anything but "Brothers & Sisters."

Field and Neeson photos source