Young Lincoln Biopic ‘The Green Blade Rises’ Adds Wes Bentley, Brit Marling

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, has yet another film in the works. The Green Blade Rises, an upcoming Terrence Malick film, will reportedly tell the story of Lincoln’s youth, and its cast is starting to fill out with Brit Marling and Wes Bentley having recently joined.

First we were treated to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a film about the president’s career as a holy warrior against the undead. Next up is Lincoln, a Steven Spielberg drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis and depicting the abolition of slavery. The 16th president is hot movie property right now, and the only thing missing is a good film about Lincoln as a child. Enter Terrence Malick’s The Green Blade Rises. Sure, it’s a silly title, but it’s Terrence Malick, so I’m willing to give it a shot.

In any case, Wes Bentley of American Beauty and HungerGames fame and Brit Marling of Another Earth have just signed on.

The press release, via FirstShowing:

“The Green Blade Rises tells the untold story of the youth of America’s greatest hero. It chronicles the hardships that shaped him, including abandonment by his father in the harsh winter wilderness, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women who guided him to immortality, putting him on the path to becoming one of the most influential Presidents in United States history.”

MovieWeb tells us that Marling will play Nancy, Honest Abe’s biological mother and pioneer(ess?) whilst Bentley will play Lincoln’s first teacher. Whether or not he’ll be a nice, Robin Williams-esque teacher or a Severus Snape-y teacher, we do not yet know. Marling and Bentley join Diane Kruger of Inglourious Basterds and Jason Clarke of Lawless who play Lincoln’s step-mother and father, respectively.

Also, we have no idea what the heck The Green Blade Rises is supposed to mean.