Daniel Day-Lewis Will Play Lincoln

Daniel Day-Lewis will play Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's film about the iconic president. Lewis, a master of accents and period personas, will replace Liam Neeson, who withdrew from the cast four months ago saying his age wasn't right for the film. The movie is set to begin production next fall, and to arrive in theaters right as the subject of presidents will be heavily on Americans' mind: fall 2012. "Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema's distant future," Spielberg said. The film is based on the book Team of Rivals by the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and was adapted for the big screen by playwright Tony Kushner.