Though Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated look into the life of President Abraham Lincoln hits theaters later this year, another Lincoln-centric film is already in the works. Elusive filmmaker Terrence Malick agreed to produce the directorial debut of AJ Edwards, The Green Blade Rises, and now Brit Marling and Wes Bentley have joined the cast in two crucial roles. Bentley will play the President’s first teacher, while Marling will play Lincoln’s biological mother Nancy, who withstood the challenges of pioneer life.
Diane Kruger and Jason Clarke are already onboard as Lincoln’s step-mother and father, but the role of Lincoln has still yet to be cast. Edwards worked with Malick as an editor on The New World, The Tree of Life, and To the Wonder, so it’ll be interesting to see how he applies what he learned from Malick on The Green Blade Rises. Hit the jump to read the press release.
September 28, 2012 - Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games) and Brit Marling (Another Earth) have joined The Green Blade Rises, the feature film about Abraham Lincoln's formative years, with a cast that also includes Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Jason Clarke (Public Enemies), who play Lincoln's step-mother and father. Wes Bentley will play the future President's first teacher and Brit Marling will play Nancy, his biological mother who withstood the challenges of pioneer life.
The Green Blade Rises tells the untold story of the youth of America's greatest hero. It chronicles the hardships that shaped him, including abandonment by his father in the harsh winter wilderness, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women who guided him to immortality, putting him on the path to becoming one of the most influential Presidents in United States history.
The Green Blade Rises is the directorial debut of AJ Edwards, who also wrote the original screenplay, and is produced by Terrence Malick (The Tree Of Life), Nicolas Gonda (The Tree Of Life) and Charley Beil (To The Wonder) with Joseph Krigsfeld, Jason Krigsfeld and Suzanne Deal Booth as executive producers and Jake DeVito is co-producer. AJ Edwards has worked with Terrence Malick on three of his films including To The Wonder, The Tree Of Life and The New World. He got his start as an editorial intern on Malick's The New World and served as the editor on his most recent film To The Wonder.
Margery Simkin (Avatar) is the Casting Director and the Production Designer is Caroline Hanania (Serendipity). Hank Corwin (The Tree Of Life) is the film's Editor. Christopher Tandon (Kill Bill) is the Art Director and Lisa Tomczeszyn (X-Men: The Last Stand) serves as the Costume Designer. The music in The Green Blade Rises is composed by Zbigniew Preisner (The Secret Garden).
The Green Blade Rises is being produced in association with Brothers K.