After some mini-drama in which Oscar winner Trent Reznor (we never get tired of writing that) confirmed that he was scoring and appearing in “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and chastised the internet for ruining the surprise early by that info leaking, the Nine Inch Nails frontman has now bowed out of the project. Or to hear him to tell it, he was never really involved in the first place. Something like that.
The rocker and film composer hit the NIN messageboards (via /Film) this afternoon and dropped this note this fans: “Don’t believe everything you read. As it turns out, I WON’T be working on (acting or scoring) ALVH after all. There’s no juicy story here, it’s just that when the news mysteriously leaked out about my involvement I hadn’t made up my mind completely, because various aspects of the project were changing. I felt the need to say something earlier this week because my inbox was filling up with speculation, and at that moment I thought I would be doing it. Confused yet? Apparently I am. Bottom line, I wish them the best with the film and I’m sure it will still be great.”
So no minimalist, pulsing score for the movie. Sorry, dudes. Regardless, the Timur Bekmambetov film will solider on. Starring Benjamin Walker, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jimmi Simpson, the film is based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith which itself is based on the faux diaries of the president (Walker) given to the author by a vampire named Henry Sturgess (Cooper). Sturgess saved Lincoln’s life when he battles a vampire as a teenager, and the two become fast friends. Sturgess teaches Lincoln about the history of vampirism, trains him in combat, and sends the president to hunt and kill evil vampires. Mackie will play the president’s best friend, Will, with Winstead playing Mary Todd. No word yet on who will take over Reznor’s part as Jack Barts, the vampire who kills Lincoln’s Mom and gets the story moving.
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” will bear its fangs — sans Reznor — on June 22, 2012. But don’t be too bummed, the musician is hard at work on the score for David Fincher‘s “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and we’re pretty sure it’ll be ace.
