For those champing at the bit for Lincoln, which debuts in two weeks, Smithsonian (November 2012) publishes an excellent piece by Roy Blount Jr., titled "Mr. Lincoln Goes to Hollywood."
In 1999, Spielberg asked Doris Kearns Goodwin what she was working on.
"Lincoln and his cabinet," the award-winning historian and author replied.
Blount quotes Spielberg as saying, “At that moment, I was impulsively seized with chutzpah to ask her to let me reserve the motion-picture rights.”
Goodwin, author of “Team of Rivals,” which screen writer Tony Kushner drew from, agreed.
Daniel Day Lewis is famous for staying in part on the set, and on this one, Spielberg went along, even asking Lewis to be addressed as “Mr. President,” and the other actors as their role name. Blount, however, notes this was a first for Spielberg.
Few, if any, big time movies get made about an administration and its cabinet. Doesn’t matter, whatever Steven Spielberg touches turns to gold.
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