Bekmambetov May Direct 'Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'

It almost had to be that either Tim Burton or Timur Bekmambetov would direct Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, since both men are directors first and foremost. They jumped at the chance to option the novel, signing the deal the week the book came out this spring. Bloody- Disgusting says it's looking like Bekmambetov will be the choice to handle the literary mash-up adaptation, which, like the book, will be written by Seth Graham-Smith, who Burton also just hired to do the script for Dark Shadows. There's no hint as to when we might see the film, but I'm just going to say if they don't cast Bruce Campbell as Lincoln, I'm less inclined to see it. Either Bruce or the guy who plays Abe in the great Geico commercial. The audiobook is in my stack of things to get to this summer, and I think it's great movie fodder. Here's the synopsis, via B-D:

"When Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died from an ailment called the 'milk sickness.' Only later did he learn that his mother's deadly affliction was actually the work of a local vampire, seeking to collect a debt owed by Lincoln's father. When Abe learned the truth, he vowed revenge and kept one passion hidden throughout his life: the brutal elimination of all vampires."

Natalie Portman is currently working with director David O. Russell on a film version of Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, so that will almost certainly hit before this one.

Comments

[J.Bradley]

Maybe since Liam Neeson has put so much research into the part for that Lincoln movie that Spielberg was going to do and has seemed to drop - and now that he's got some action chops with "Taken" and "The A Team" - maybe he'd be a good choice.