Steven Spielberg Won't Release 'Lincoln' Until After 2012 Election

Steven Spielberg will release his Abraham Lincoln biopic after the 2012 presidential election to keep it out of the political discourse.

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The director told the Orlando Sentinel, "The movie will be purposely coming out after next year's election. I didn't want it to become political fodder."

Lincoln, which sees Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president of the United States and Sally Field as his wife, Mary Todd, is based on Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin and adapted by Tony Kushner. It follows Lincoln's journey to abolish slavery and end the Civil War.

Tommy Lee Jones will play Thaddeus Stevens, a Republican leader and congressman from Pennsylvania. Stevens was a staunch supporter of abolishing slavery and was critical to writing the legislation that funded the American Civil War.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will take on the role of Robert Todd Lincoln, eldest son of President Lincoln and the only one to live past his teenage years.

The project will shoot this fall in Virginia, and will be released via Disney's Touchstone label.