The new Lincoln poster further strikes a somber tone for Daniel Day-Lewis’ uncanny resemblance and the heavy moral burden he faces during the last four months of his life, trying to end the Civil War and slavery along with it.
Steven Spielberg’s procedural biopic/drama is scripted by Tony Kushner and based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. Lincoln, which opens Nov. 9 and expands Nov. 16, co-stars Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Tommy Lee Jones. For production designer Rick Carter (War Horse, Avatar, Munich, War of the Worlds), Lincoln represents a continuing fascination with “the nature of conscience and the Goya-esque disasters of war.” And Spielberg has arguably become a post-9/11 voice of conscience. “Our movie is really about a working leader who must make tough decisions and get things done in the face of overwhelming opposition,” Spielberg says.