MANILA, Philippines - Explosive thrills, scares and stunts are in store in the revisionist film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter starring Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Dominic Cooper and Anthony Mackie. Directed by Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (cool action blockbuster credits include Night Watch, Day Watch and Wanted), the movie seamlessly combines vivid history with wild imagination, pitting one of most revered figures in US history against blood-thirsty vampires. Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and produced by Tim Burton and Jim Lemley, the film is a new twist on one of the greatest chapters in American history.
Of all of the challenges inherent in the production of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, none can be greater than that of resurrecting Abraham Lincoln himself. The 16th president of the United States of America is also one of its most iconic; he’s among the first Commanders-in-Chief to be photographed, and his face is emblazoned on the five dollar bill.
Finding an actor able to wear that burden was a process, says Bekmambetov. “There were two main reasons we settled on Ben Walker,” he reveals. “The first was that he shared Lincoln’s personality. He has an unbelievable, grounded and sarcastic sense of humor and he’s a very straightforward, honest man. The second reason was strategic: We wanted to choose an actor who brings no baggage to the screen. We wanted the audience to believe they were seeing Lincoln, and not a movie star playing Lincoln.”
Walker is aware of the challenge inherent in accepting the role. “As a country, we’re always looking for heroes, and Lincoln is the quintessential American hero,” he says. “He’s self-created, self-educated and a common man who made himself extraordinary. I think we’re fascinated by that.”
“It was an adventure, like I’m entering a new world I had never been before and I wanted to explore it,” Bekmambetov says of his attraction to the project. “I wanted to meet these unbelievable characters, Abraham Lincoln, his friend, Will, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, his enemies and his friends. And I wanted to go with him through his journey.”
For all the historical accuracy of Bekmambetov’s film, it’s probably safe to assume the invention comes thick and fast in the film’s tremendous clashes between the 16th president and the vampire hordes he’s dedicated his life to fight. For as many battles as the real Lincoln was forced to wage, there are many more supernatural encounters weaved into the narrative. In a no-holds-barred fight of good versus evil, the result is pure thrill ride.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter also fits squarely within Bekmambetov’s creative and aesthetic wheelhouse. The filmmaker had previously helmed the box-office smash Wanted and before that, Night Watch and Day Watch, both offering compelling portraits of vampires in a world both familiar and fantastic.
The most important thing for Bekmambetov and his crew was authenticity. As much as Lincoln’s vampire hunting experts may not be strictly kosher, it was important that the film got its facts straight in other areas. “We worked in collaboration with the most respected experts in this world,” says Bekmambetov. “The Lincoln Museum in Springfield, the Library of Congress, and all sorts of historians who helped us with the truth of Lincoln.”
Bekmambetov thinks his fearlessness is what allows him to charge into such a mammoth task. “I feel a responsibility to be truthful and honest, and I know that I’m dealing with a very serious topic. But at the same time it was very important to be free from this trap; for an American director it would be a lot more difficult to do this story — you grow up with preconceived notions and you can’t play with them. So for me it was easier.”
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in theaterss on July 4 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.