Tom Hanks is playing Lincoln in stop-motion, and Dafoe and Dinklage only lend their voices
Tom Hanks’ hybrid animated/live-action Lincoln in the Bardo has lined up some heavyweight voices, with several big-name additions you’ll definitely recognise.
If you ever wondered what a Tom Hanks Abraham Lincoln project might look like when it’s not taking itself too seriously, here comes Lincoln in the Bardo to answer exactly that. The whole thing already sounded odd on paper, but the latest casting news has just cranked the curiosity factor up another notch: Willem Dafoe, Peter Dinklage, and Jonathan Bailey have all signed on to provide voices in this live-action/animated mash-up.
Willem Dafoe, Peter Dinklage, and Jonathan Bailey have joined the cast as voice roles for the hybrid animated/live-action movie Lincoln in the Bardo.
So yes, you’ve got Tom Hanks actually playing Abraham Lincoln, backed up by a cast best described as ‘eclectically excellent’. As for the premise—it’s based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by George Saunders (published 2017, just for those keeping track of your literary prizes), and the screen version seems just as trippy as the book’s reputation suggests.
Who’s Behind It (and What’s It About)?
Directing duties are down to Duke Johnson, best known for co-directing stop-motion standout Anomalisa with Charlie Kaufman. Apparently not content with only one visually head-spinning animated film, Johnson is leaning even further in here with a blend of stop-motion and live-action. According to Deadline’s rundown, the story zooms in on one of the darkest moments of Lincoln’s personal life, centring on his connection with his 11-year-old son who’s just died. The promise is a surreal and sombre blend of themes: love, empathy, what it means to be human in the pit of grief, and a whole gallery of living and dead characters (some, presumably, lifted straight from history, others made up along the way).
Production will take place in London, with an ensemble cast voicing both historical and invented figures surrounding Lincoln during this period.
The Team and Production Details
Backing all this strangeness is Starburns Industries—the same animation crew behind Anomalisa—with production set for London (so if you’re used to seeing Honest Abe in front of the White House, prepare yourself for some West End ghosts as well). Hanks is producing through his own Playtone label alongside regular collaborator Gary Goetzman; Johnson, Paul Young, and Devon Young Rabinowitz will have their names on the Starburns side of things. Up in the executive producer suite, you’ll spot Steven Shareshian, Aaron Mitchell, and Saunders himself peering down from above.
- Title: Lincoln in the Bardo
- Director: Duke Johnson
- Lead Cast: Tom Hanks (Abraham Lincoln), Willem Dafoe, Peter Dinklage, Jonathan Bailey (voice roles)
- Source Material: Book by George Saunders, Booker Prize 2017
- Animation: Stop-motion and live-action hybrid
- Production Companies: Playtone, Starburns Industries
- Filming Location: London