Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (film)
Encyclopedia
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a 2012 American supernatural film based on the 2010 mashup novel
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov
and is produced by Bekmambetov and Tim Burton
. The novel's author, Seth Grahame-Smith
, wrote the adapted screenplay. The real-life figure Abraham Lincoln
, the 16th President of the United States (1861–1865), is fictionally portrayed in the novel and the film as having a secret identity as a vampire hunter
. Benjamin Walker
stars as Lincoln. Filming began in Louisiana in March 2011, and the film is being produced in 3D. It is scheduled to be released on , 2012.
by Seth Grahame-Smith
. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov
and stars Benjamin Walker
as Abraham Lincoln
. The project was first announced in March 2010 when Tim Burton
and Bekmambetov paired to purchase film rights and to finance its development themselves. The book's author, Seth Grahame-Smith, was hired to write the script. In the following October, Fox beat out other studios in a bidding war for rights to the film, having made a detailed pitch about the film's production, marketing, and release.
In January 2011, with Bekmambetov attached as director, Walker was cast as Abraham Lincoln. He beat out Adrien Brody
, Josh Lucas
, James D'Arcy
, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen for the role. Additional actors were cast in the following February. Filming began in March 2011 in Louisiana
. The film has a budget of and will be produced in 3D.
Mashup (book)
A mashup novel, or mashup book , is a work of fiction which combines a pre-existing text, often a classic work of fiction, with a certain popular genre such as vampire or zombie narratives...
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter is a 2010 mashup novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, released on March 2, 2010.-Plot summary:The epistolary-style book is written as a biography of Abraham Lincoln, based on "secret diaries" kept by the 16th President and given to the author by a vampire named Henry...
. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Timur Bekmambetov
Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov is a Kazakh-born director, producer and screenwriter who has worked on films and commercials. He is mostly popular for the Russian film Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch , and the American film Wanted .-Early life:Bekmambetov was born on June 25, 1961 in the...
and is produced by Bekmambetov and Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
. The novel's author, Seth Grahame-Smith
Seth Grahame-Smith
Seth Grahame-Smith is an American best-selling author, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. He is best known as the author of The New York Times best-selling novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, both of which are being adapted as feature films...
, wrote the adapted screenplay. The real-life figure Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, the 16th President of the United States (1861–1865), is fictionally portrayed in the novel and the film as having a secret identity as a vampire hunter
Vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures....
. Benjamin Walker
Benjamin Walker (actor)
Benjamin "Ben" Walker is an American actor, best known for his film appearances in Kinsey , Harlon Block in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, and his critically acclaimed portrayal of Andrew Jackson in the Off- and On Broadway incarnations of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.-Education and...
stars as Lincoln. Filming began in Louisiana in March 2011, and the film is being produced in 3D. It is scheduled to be released on , 2012.
Cast
- Benjamin WalkerBenjamin Walker (actor)Benjamin "Ben" Walker is an American actor, best known for his film appearances in Kinsey , Harlon Block in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, and his critically acclaimed portrayal of Andrew Jackson in the Off- and On Broadway incarnations of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.-Education and...
as Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, the 16th President of the United States. - Mary Elizabeth WinsteadMary Elizabeth WinsteadMary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, and The Thing...
as Mary Todd LincolnMary Todd LincolnMary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
, Lincoln's wife. - Rufus SewellRufus SewellRufus Frederik Sewell is an English actor. In film, he has appeared in The Woodlanders, Dangerous Beauty, Dark City, A Knight's Tale, The Illusionist, Tristan and Isolde, and Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. On television, he starred in the 2010 mini-series The Pillars of the Earth...
as Adam, the lead vampire villain. - Jimmi SimpsonJimmi SimpsonJames Raymond "Jimmi" Simpson is an American actor. He has had recurring roles on the television shows 24, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Psych, My Name Is Earl, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Late Show with David Letterman...
as Josh Speed, Lincoln's friend and assistant. - Dominic CooperDominic CooperDominic Edward Cooper is an English actor. He has worked in TV, film, theatre and radio, in productions including Mamma Mia!, The Duchess, The History Boys, and The Devil's Double.- Early life :...
as Henry Sturges, Lincoln's mentor in vampire hunting. Before Cooper, Joaquin PhoenixJoaquin PhoenixJoaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
was in talks for the role. - Anthony MackieAnthony MackieAnthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
as William JohnsonWilliam H. JohnsonWilliam H. Johnson, was a free African-American, and the personal valet of Abraham Lincoln. Having first met Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, he accompanied the President-Elect to Washington, D.C.. Once there, he was employed in various jobs, part time as President's valet and barber, and as a...
, Lincoln's valet and friend. - Robin McLeavyRobin McLeavyRobin McLeavy is an actress from Sydney, Australia and NIDA graduate.- Career :Robin graduated from NIDA in 2004. Robin starred as Lola Stone in the critically acclaimed Australian horror The Loved Ones, directed by Sean Byrne...
as Nancy Lincoln, Lincoln's mother. - Alan TudykAlan TudykAlan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in the Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Hoban...
as Stephen A. DouglasStephen A. DouglasStephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
, an American politician from IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Production
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is based on the 2010 mashup novel Abraham Lincoln, Vampire HunterAbraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter is a 2010 mashup novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, released on March 2, 2010.-Plot summary:The epistolary-style book is written as a biography of Abraham Lincoln, based on "secret diaries" kept by the 16th President and given to the author by a vampire named Henry...
by Seth Grahame-Smith
Seth Grahame-Smith
Seth Grahame-Smith is an American best-selling author, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. He is best known as the author of The New York Times best-selling novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, both of which are being adapted as feature films...
. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Timur Bekmambetov
Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov is a Kazakh-born director, producer and screenwriter who has worked on films and commercials. He is mostly popular for the Russian film Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch , and the American film Wanted .-Early life:Bekmambetov was born on June 25, 1961 in the...
and stars Benjamin Walker
Benjamin Walker (actor)
Benjamin "Ben" Walker is an American actor, best known for his film appearances in Kinsey , Harlon Block in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, and his critically acclaimed portrayal of Andrew Jackson in the Off- and On Broadway incarnations of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.-Education and...
as Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. The project was first announced in March 2010 when Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
and Bekmambetov paired to purchase film rights and to finance its development themselves. The book's author, Seth Grahame-Smith, was hired to write the script. In the following October, Fox beat out other studios in a bidding war for rights to the film, having made a detailed pitch about the film's production, marketing, and release.
In January 2011, with Bekmambetov attached as director, Walker was cast as Abraham Lincoln. He beat out Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody is an American actor and film producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist . Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 at age 29, he is the youngest actor to do so...
, Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
, James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
-Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama...
, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen for the role. Additional actors were cast in the following February. Filming began in March 2011 in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The film has a budget of and will be produced in 3D.
Crew
- Timur BekmambetovTimur BekmambetovTimur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov is a Kazakh-born director, producer and screenwriter who has worked on films and commercials. He is mostly popular for the Russian film Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch , and the American film Wanted .-Early life:Bekmambetov was born on June 25, 1961 in the...
– director, producer - Tim BurtonTim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
– producer - Jim LemleyJim LemleyJim Lemley is an American film and television producer based in Paris and Los Angeles. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with leading directors, actors, and producers to create both feature films and television across various genres.-Early life:Born March 9, 1965, Lemley is the son of...
– producer - Seth Grahame-SmithSeth Grahame-SmithSeth Grahame-Smith is an American best-selling author, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. He is best known as the author of The New York Times best-selling novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, both of which are being adapted as feature films...
– screenwriter - Caleb DeschanelCaleb DeschanelJoseph Caleb Deschanel, A.S.C. is an American film cinematographer and film/television director.-Early life:Deschanel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a French father and an American mother, who raised him in her Quaker religion. He went to Severn School for high school...
– cinematographer - William HoyWilliam HoyWilliam Harry Hoy is a film editor with more than 25 credits dating from 1987. He has been elected to membership in the American Cinema Editors.-Filmography:*No Way Out *Silent Assassins *Best of the Best...
– editor
- François AudouyFrançois AudouyFrançois Audouy, is a French-American production designer and art director. He has worked as an art director for directors like Michael Bay, Tim Burton, Martin Campbell, Robert Redford, Zach Snyder, and Steven Spielberg....
– production designer - Beat Frutiger – art director
- Cheryl CarasikCheryl CarasikCheryl Carasik is a set decorator. She has been nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:* A Little Princess * The Birdcage * Men in Black...
– set decorator - Varvara Avdyushko – costume designer
- Carlo PoggioliCarlo Poggioli- Recognition :* 2008 Genie Award for Best Achievement in Costume Design - Silk - Won * 2005 Saturn Award for Best Costumes - Van Helsing - Nominated...
– costume designer