After portraying astronauts, ship captains, toy sheriffs, and even real-life icons, Tom Hanks is stepping into one of the most iconic roles of his career — Abraham Lincoln.
For the first time, the two-time Oscar winner will play a U.S. president, taking on the role of the 16th President of the United States in Lincoln in the Bardo, a live-action and stop-motion hybrid film from Starburns Industries.
And if the source material is anything to go by, this won’t be a conventional biopic.
A Different Side of Lincoln
The film is based on Lincoln in the Bardo, the acclaimed novel by George Saunders, which won the 2017 Booker Prize and became a New York Times bestseller.
Rather than focusing on Lincoln’s political legacy — abolishing slavery or leading the nation through the Civil War — the story zooms in on an intensely personal chapter of his life: the death of his 11-year-old son.
Set within a liminal, almost spiritual space known as the “bardo,” the narrative unfolds through a chorus of voices — both living and dead, historical and fictional. It’s part historical drama, part philosophical meditation on grief, love, and empathy.
For Hanks, who has previously portrayed real-life figures like Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Walt Disney, this marks his first time embodying a U.S. president on screen.
A Hybrid Film With a Unique Vision
What makes this project even more intriguing is its format.
The film will combine live-action performance with stop-motion animation — a bold creative choice aimed at capturing the surreal emotional terrain of Saunders’ novel.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Duke Johnson, best known for the animated feature Anomalisa, is set to direct and produce. Saunders himself is adapting his own novel for the screen, ensuring that the film retains the original book’s voice and complexity.
Production is scheduled to take place in London.
Hanks Steps In as Producer Too
Beyond starring in the film, Hanks will also produce under his Playtone banner alongside long-time collaborator Gary Goetzman. The move reflects his continued interest in shaping historical and character-driven narratives from behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.
The project also marks the first Starburns Industries production to move forward since the company announced its new film fund earlier this month, signaling a significant start for the studio’s next phase.
Why This Casting Matters
Hanks has long been associated with dignified, empathetic portrayals of American figures. From war heroes to political journalists, he often gravitates toward characters who carry moral weight.
Abraham Lincoln — a leader remembered for guiding the nation through its most fractured period — fits that lineage. But this film’s focus on private grief rather than public speeches offers Hanks an opportunity to explore a quieter, more intimate dimension of the historic figure.
If executed well, Lincoln in the Bardo could become less about presidential legacy and more about shared humanity.
Final Words
Tom Hanks playing Abraham Lincoln was perhaps inevitable — but not in the way audiences might expect.
Instead of a sweeping political epic, this project promises something more introspective, more experimental, and emotionally layered. A grieving father. A nation in turmoil. A story told through the living and the dead.
It’s a bold swing — both for Hanks and for Hollywood’s approach to historical storytelling. And that alone makes Lincoln in the Bardo one of the most intriguing projects currently in development.
