Tom Hanks is set to portray Abraham Lincoln in a feature adaptation of George Saunders’ Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo, marking the first time the Oscar-winning actor will play a U.S. president on screen.
The project, which will blend live action and stop-motion animation, will be directed by Duke Johnson, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Anomalisa. The film is being produced by Starburns Industries, with Hanks also serving as a producer through his Playtone banner alongside longtime collaborator Gary Goetzman.
Published in 2017, Lincoln in the Bardo became a literary sensation, winning the Booker Prize and earning widespread critical acclaim for its unconventional narrative structure. The novel centers on a single night in 1862 following the death of Lincoln’s 11-year-old son, Willie. Set in a liminal spiritual realm known as the “bardo,” the story explores grief, love and mortality through a chorus of voices — both historical and fictional — who observe Lincoln as he mourns at his son’s crypt.
Unlike traditional historical dramas that focus on Lincoln’s presidency or Civil War leadership, Lincoln in the Bardo offers an intimate portrait of a father consumed by personal loss. The story’s experimental format and metaphysical setting have long been considered challenging to adapt, making Johnson’s involvement particularly notable. Known for pushing stylistic boundaries in animation and psychological storytelling, Johnson is expected to lean into the novel’s surreal and emotionally textured atmosphere.
The hybrid approach — combining live performances with stop-motion sequences — signals an ambitious creative direction. Starburns Industries, which has built a reputation in the animation space, is backing the project, further reinforcing the film’s unconventional aesthetic.
For Hanks, the role represents both a creative milestone and a natural progression in his career portraying real-life figures. Over the years, he has played historical personalities including Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in Sully, Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks, and Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. However, this marks his first time embodying a sitting U.S. president in a dramatic feature.
Hanks has a distant familial connection to Lincoln, a detail that has added a layer of personal intrigue to the casting announcement. The actor has previously narrated historical documentaries related to Lincoln but has never portrayed him onscreen until now.
The film will reportedly shoot in London, though additional casting details and a production timeline have yet to be disclosed. George Saunders is attached as a producer, ensuring creative continuity between the novel and its cinematic adaptation.
The adaptation arrives at a time when prestige filmmaking is increasingly experimenting with form. Hybrid techniques blending animation and live-action storytelling have gained renewed interest in recent years, particularly for projects seeking to visualize interior psychological states or metaphysical concepts. Lincoln in the Bardo fits squarely within that trend, offering an opportunity to present a historical figure through an emotionally subjective lens rather than a traditional biographical framework.
Lincoln has been portrayed memorably on screen before — most notably by Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, a performance that earned an Academy Award. However, Hanks’ version is expected to focus less on political maneuvering and more on spiritual and emotional introspection.
Thematically, the project also resonates in a contemporary climate where audiences are increasingly drawn to stories about vulnerability and humanity within powerful figures. By centering Lincoln’s private grief rather than his public leadership, the film promises a distinct tonal shift from previous cinematic interpretations.
No release date has been announced, but with Hanks attached both in front of and behind the camera, and with Johnson directing, Lincoln in the Bardo is already positioning itself as one of the more artistically ambitious literary adaptations in development.
As awards season increasingly embraces unconventional storytelling and genre-blending narratives, the film’s creative approach could place it squarely within future prestige conversations — especially given the pedigree of both its source material and its leading man.
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