The casting announcement Wednesday gives "Lincoln" a pair of two-time Academy Award winners in lead roles.
/*Daniel Day-Lewis*/ was a best-actor winner for "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood." He will star as Lincoln.
Field is a best-actress recipient for "Norma Rae" and "Places in the Heart." She is playing /*Mary Todd Lincoln.*/
Spielberg says Field was his first choice to portray the "fragility and complexity" of Lincoln's wife.
The film is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of /*Abraham Lincoln,*/ which examines the president's relationship with key advisers.
Shooting begins this fall, with the film due out in 2012.
