If it feels like Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln biopic has been in-development forever, that's because it pretty much has been. Liam Neeson first signed on to the project all the way back in 2005, and to put that in context, Spielberg has released three films since and will be delivering two more this December. The project has been around so long, in fact, that Neeson actually dropped out last year, only to be replaced by Daniel Day-Lewis. One question mark that has persisted, though, has been surrounding Sally Field's involvement. First said to be involved in 2007, there hasn't been any news about it since. Now it's official.

Deadline has posted a press release sent out by Dreamworks announcing that Field will indeed be playing our 16th president's wife in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Based on the book Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Spielberg seems to hint that the movie will touch on Mary Todd's eventual mental breakdown, saying of Field, "I've admired her films and she has always been my first choice to portray all the fragility and complexity that was Mary Todd Lincoln." Coming as a surprise, the article says that filming is scheduled to begin this Fall and the movie will be released in late 2012.

The news regarding the schedule runs contrary to previous reports that Spielberg's next project would be Robopocalypse, but now I'm hoping that the director has decided to combine the stories together. If not, though, it will be interesting to see how Spielberg's take on the president will be perceived after everyone sees the character killing bloodsuckers in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.