Your Favorite Actor Is Going to Play Your Favorite President

Look, at this point, the bar for who would be your favorite U.S. President is pretty much in the ground. There are also plenty of people who can answer that question without opening their mouths (you can just look at their hats). But, if you asked people who aren’t crazy, they’d… well, they’d probably say Barack Obama. And he’s a good one! I’m not saying he isn’t! There just may be some recency bias. But, ask people who are a bit older and… dammit, they’ll probably say Reagan, huh? Well, Tom Hanks isn’t playing any of those people.

Would I watch Hanks attempt an Obama accent? Absolutely. He’d also probably do pretty great as Reagan, but that’s because he’s a good actor and Reagan was essentially a caricature (albeit a dangerous one). No, I’m talking about the man with the big hat who ended slavery, liked wrestling, and may have been gay depending on who you ask and what letters you read. The man on the penny is, I think, an easy answer to the “who’s your favorite president” question, and Hanks will be bringing him to life.

Deadline reports that Hanks is set to appear in a live-action/stop-motion hybrid film based on the book Lincoln in the Bardo and will play Abraham Lincoln. According to the outlet, the film will tackle some of Lincoln’s more intimate moments, including his relationship with his son, who passed away at 11 years old. The whole endeavor sounds sweet and heartbreaking in a good way, and seems tailor-made for somebody like Hanks to tackle.

It’s fair to say that many of Hanks’ performances end up feeling like him in some way. That’s not necessarily bad. He’s a movie star, and that’s what you hire him for. I don’t expect him to give a transformative performance like Daniel Day-Lewis did, but that’s fine. Hanks is going to bring his classic charm to something that seems like it will be a bit more on the tender side to begin with.

If anything, the most striking aspect of this casting is that Hanks is around fifteen years older than Lincoln was when he was assassinated. The Splash star looks great for his age, but let’s just say he likely won’t be growing a jet-black beard anytime soon. He’s going to look great in the hat, though. And seeing him portray the president will have an inherent air of importance to it. Sign me up.