A second Steven Spielberg film in so many months looks to have had the studio opt out on the project as production is imminent. Paramount has decided to pass on Lincoln, leaving Spielberg unable to proceed with his long planned project. Liam Neeson has been attached to play the 16th US President for several years, while Sally Field's name was linked to the role of First Lady Mary Lincoln.The film's screenwriter Tony Kushner recently claimed that the biopic would arrive in cinemas by Christmas "in time for the bicentenary of Lincoln's birth" should the project receive the greenlight.
When Spielberg's DreamWorks company split from Paramount last year, the studio kept the rights to Lincoln. Spielberg is now hoping that the film will be picked up elsewhere.
