Feb 24, 2026 3:59pm IST
Hollywood in Throwback Mode: Tom Hanks to Play Abraham Lincoln; Lily Collins Gets to Be Audrey Hepburn
Big names in Hollywood are jumping into some seriously ambitious biopic roles right now. Lily Collins is set to play Audrey Hepburn in a movie about what went on behind the scenes during the making of 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Meanwhile, Tom Hanks is gearing up to become Abraham Lincoln in a new film that mixes live action with stop-motion, adapting “Lincoln in the Bardo.”
Case Study Films and Imagine Entertainment are producing the Hepburn movie. The story pulls from Sam Wasson’s “Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.,” digging into how the film came together. Expect to see the likes of Hepburn’s Holly Golightly, writer Truman Capote, costume designer Edith Head and director Blake Edwards. Alena Smith, who created “Dickinson,” wrote the script.
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Producers are a long list: Collins herself, Charlie McDowell, Alex Orlovsky, Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody, Justin Wilkes and Scott LaStaiti. The original movie scored five Oscar nominations and landed in the National Film Registry back in 2012. Collins recently posted that she’s been dreaming up this project for almost ten years.
Switching gears, Tom Hanks is stepping into Lincoln’s shoes for a film based on George Saunders’ Booker Prize-winning novel. The story zooms in on Lincoln as he mourns his 11-year-old son, Willie, and unfolds through a mix of living, dead, real and imagined characters.
Duke Johnson, who worked on “Anomalisa,” is directing and Saunders himself wrote the screenplay. Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing through Playtone, joined by Duke Johnson, Paul Young and Devon Young Rabinowitz from Starburns Industries. Executive producers include Steven Shareshian, Aaron Mitchell and Saunders. As per reports, initial production on the movie will begin in London.
These projects really show where Hollywood’s headed, mixing history with raw, personal stories. Collins brings to life an icon from one of cinema’s most beloved romances. Hanks dives deep into grief and legacy, all in a style we haven’t seen before.
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