Participant Media Boarding Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' (Exclusive)

Participant Media is re-teaming with DreamWorks on Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, which the director begins shooting Monday in Virginia.

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The socially minded Participant will co-finance Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, and charting Lincoln’s presidency and leadership during the Civil War.

Discussions between DreamWorks and Participant about Lincoln first began when the two companies were working together on box office hit The Help.

In an interview with THR, Participant CEO Jim Berk and president Ricky Strauss said Lincoln is a natural fit for the company. Also, Participant and DreamWorks have now worked together on multiple projects.

“To work with Steven and follow the legacy of The Help with a movie about Abraham Lincoln feels very important.”

Lincoln is based on presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Spielberg will direct from a script by Tony Kushner.

For the full interview with Participant, check out the Oct. 21 edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.