Since the project has been gestating for years now, it wasn't much of a surprise when we learned that Liam Neeson was no longer attached to Steven Spielberg's biopic of Abraham Lincoln, the iconic 16th President of the United States. Before his departure from the project was official though, Spielberg assured us that his take on the president's life was still on the way. Since then we've heard that the director would next tackle an adaptation of the forthcoming sci-fi book Robopocalypse, but a press release from DreamWorks pegs Spielberg as directing the biopic in the fall of 2011 and reveals that the stellar Daniel Day-Lewis will play Abraham Lincoln. Brilliant!

Today Spielberg announced the news himself with Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman and CEO of DreamWorks. The director said, “Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema's distant future. I am grateful and inspired that our paths will finally cross with Lincoln." Snider followed by saying, "Throughout his career, he has been exceptionally selective in his choice of material which makes us feel even more fortunate that he has chosen to join with us for Lincoln." Now that they've snagged Daniel Day-Lewis, apparently they're planning to release the film late in 2012 (likely around awards season).

If you don't recall, the biopic will be adapted from the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals, with Oscar nominated writer Tony Kushner (who wrote Munich for Spielberg) behind the script. The film is said to focus on he political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of the Civil War. This is quite a historical time for the United States and this will be the first time such a massive film will focus solely on the life of Abraham Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis is inspired casting for the Honest Abe, so I'm hoping this project really does get off the ground next year. How about you?

Just yesterday we found out that Steven Soderbergh was being lined up to direct an adaptation of 60s TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which followed the adventures of American and Russian members of a secret agency called the United Network Command for Law & Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.). Now The Playlist has uncovered some more details on the adaptation including word that George Clooney, who has worked with Soderbergh on Solaris, The Good German, Out of Sight and all the Ocean's Eleven films, is already in talks to lead the project. However, it's not coming together immediately since development has only begun.

Good news comes from the fact that this won't be an adaptation that simply modernizes an old TV series, but rather will stay in the 1960's and go back to the roots of what made the original series great. Though this project has been in the works since the 90's, Warner Bros. is apparently starting from scratch and will likely not use any of the previous scripts from Max Borenstein or David Campbell Wilson. Remember, Scott Z. Burns (who wrote The Informant! for Soderbergh) is writing the new version of the script, and if we're looking at a combination of the period feel of The Limey, the star and action of Ocean's Eleven and the subtle, satirical humor of The Informant!, then I think we're in for quite a great flick.

A bit of a curveball comes along with this news though since The Playlist says The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is apparently being viewed as the last film Clooney and Soderbergh will make together. If that's the case, it sounds like Soderbergh might follow through on his talk of retirement in July of 2009. He's certainly been firing off a lot of different projects lately, so maybe he's just making one last marathon run of features before leaving the film industry. It'll be quite disappointing to see him go, but at least he still has Liberace and hopefully this new project with Clooney to keep him around for a few more years. We'll keep you posted as this project continues development. Interested in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with George Clooney?

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees." So says the classic Dr. Seuss character from the environmentally conscientious children's book The Lorax. Following in the footsteps of the previous computer animated Horton Hears a Who, we've already heard the cautionary tale is heading to the big screen in 3D courtesy of Universal and producer Chris Meledandri (Despicable Me). Now USA Today reveals who will speak for the trees with Danny DeVito providing his vocal talent for the sad, mustached titular character. In addition, the newspaper has our first look at the computer animated version of The Lorax which you can see above.

If you never encountered The Lorax in your childhood, that's actually kind of sad. Anyway, in brief, a remorseful and saddened narrator speaks of the industrial, entrepreneurial endeavors of the Once-ler, who uses the tufts of the Truffula Trees to make the versatile product Thneeds (a thing everyone needs). But in his efforts to mass-market his best-selling product, the businessman begins to destroy the world around him, exhausting all the natural resources and polluting the environment. Suddenly, The Lorax speaks for the trees in an attempt to make him stop production and the destruction of the land and its animals. However, his efforts are ignored, thus ruining the once beautiful landscape and leaving the Once-ler with regret.

Ed Helms will provide the voice of the motivated Once-ler (who, unlike the book, will actually show his face), while Rob Riggle voices O'Hare, another industrialist character (not found in the book) who sells cans of fresh air to the polluted world the Once-ler creates. Zac Efron will voice the boy named Ted (after Seuss' real-life name Theodore Giesel) trying to find the cause of the devastated world before him and Betty White will play his grandmother who tells him about the once luscious and colorful surroundings. Another new character thrown into the mix is Audrey (named for Seuss' widow and currently with no voice talent cast yet), Ted's crush who dreams someday to see a real forest, not just the fake plastic trees that dot their devastated landscape.

Meledandri said of DeVito's talent: "Danny has this wonderful ability to be acerbic and grouchy but at the same time absolutely lovable. It's almost like Walter Matthau had. His comedic edge was very sharp, but he always maintained that warmth." Meanwhile, DeVito is adamant about the book's message hitting hard in today's green geared society, "Look, I don't want to be gruff about it, but we've got to wake up and smell the oil burning. I feel sometimes the only way to get things done is shake people up a little bit, and the Lorax is not a guy who pussyfoots around. He's not a guy who uses kid gloves. No, no, the Lorax means business." I hope so, as this was one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, and I'm hoping it's given its due diligence on the big screen. Anyone else excited about this version of The Lorax?