By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; National Archives/Newsmakers/Getty Images
Two-time Oscar winner (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) Tom Hanks to play Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming film adaptation of “Lincoln in the Bardo” from Starburns Industries.
Hanks, 69, has a career spanning five decades. He’s a fantastic actor. Hanks has played numerous real-life characters such as pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in the 2016 film, Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood, and portrayed Walt Disney in the 2013 film, Saving Mr. Banks, directed by John Lee Hancock, and portrayed longtime executive editor of The Washington Post, Ben Bradlee in the 2017 film, The Post, by Steven Spielberg.
It’s the first time in his career that Hanks will play a presidential role. Lincoln is the 16th president of the United States. The last Abraham Lincoln movie to be made was Spielberg’s 2012 Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. Lewis won Best Actor for his role.
Hanks will serve as the producer for Lincoln in the Bardo, which is based on writer George Saunders’ bestselling novel. Lincoln in the Bardo is Saunders’s first novel, published in 2017, which won the Booker Prize and was named a New York Times bestseller. The new Lincoln project focuses on Lincoln’s relationship with his recently deceased 11-year-old son. Lincoln and his wife suffered deeply on the loss of his son, and it’s one of the most intense and important moments of his life.
Saunders attended Syracuse University, where he earned his MFA in Creative Writing. Saunders also achieved success with the short story collection “Tenth of December,” which was named one of The New York Times’ best books of 2013.
Hanks will have many movie buffs tuning in to watch him play this iconic figure in American history. Aside from Lincoln in the Bardo, Hanks returns to do the voice for Woody. Toy Story 5 comes out on June 19, 2016. In addition, the American war film Greyhound 2 is currently in production. Hanks wrote the script for the sequel just as she did for the first one, which came out in 2020.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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