With production set to begin this fall in Virginia, Steven Spielberg has added another cast member to the extensive ensemble that is his Lincoln. DreamWorks has announced that David Strathairn has joined the project as William H. Seward.
In real life, Seward served as President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State. An outspoken abolitionist, he was one of the most loyal members of Lincoln’s wartime cabinet.
Based on the best-selling book, “Team of Rivals,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (who also adapted the script with Tony Kushner), the story focuses on the life of the former President, focusing on the man’s rise to politics and his role in the Civil War.
Daniel Day-Lewis is slated to take on the role of Lincoln with Sally Field playing his wife, Mary Todd. A release is tentatively scheduled for sometime in late 2012.
Strathairn is best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in Good Night, And Good Luck and his Emmy Award-winning role in HBO’s “Temple Grandin” miniseries. He also joins Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Tim Blake Nelson, James Spader, David Costabile, Joseph Cross, John Hawkes, Hal Holbrook, Byron Jennings, Dakin Matthews, Bruce McGill, Boris McGiver, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong and David Warshofsky.
