The first trailer is here for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the new flick that re-imagines the 16th American President (played by Benjamin Walker) as an axe wielding slayer of vampires. From Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov the visuals are similarly impressive and the fight choreography looks ‘Matrix’ inspired.
Based on the mash up novel by Seth Grahame-Smith who also penned the script, esteemed filmmaker Tim Burton is also the producer. The flick comes across as a serious action fare, though with such an ominous title perhaps a little humor may’ve been in order so that people don’t see it as a gag. That said, with Burton on board – levity is sure to be at a more darker and gruesome level, with some swift beheading hinted at in the trailer.
The story fuses historical events with the vampire mythos, such as the Confederate army being infiltrated by the undead, and playing a significant part in causing the Civil War. This should be a fun ride of re-invention and writer Grahame-Smith has hinted that the story sets up a possible sequel – the president’s assassination perhaps part of the guise to continue the war against vampires:
If you read the book there’s an epilogue that leaves things open to that. In the film, without giving anything away, we don’t definitively end the origin story. We leave, not only a mentor story, but also possibly a Lincoln story open.
As for today’s romanticized depiction of vampires such as in the Twilight series, Grahame-Smith offered this statement that the film will be a throwback to classic vampire horror where no delay is taken in dispensing with these blood thirsty monsters.
It’s gonna be very bloody. Parts of it are gonna be very scary. But more than that – and this is a point of personal pride with me as a horror fan my whole life – this movie puts vampires back where they belong. And that’s as bad guys and not heartthrobs. They should be beheaded with an axe and not kissed by tweens. That’s what you can expect: badass vampires getting treated like the killers that they are.
Here’s the synopsis :
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of our greatest President, and the untold story that shaped our nation. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) bring a fresh and visceral voice to the blood-thirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history’s greatest hunter of the undead.
The film also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Alan Tudyk, Jimmi Simpson, and Rufus Sewell.
Check out the trailer here:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.
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