Jimmi Simpson has been signed onto the Tim Burton-directed film “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, according to Screen Crave by way of Variety.

The actor will play Josh Speed, Lincoln’s close friend and personal assistant. Historically, this is accurate. What isn’t accurate is, of course, the vampire parts: in the film, Speed will fight with Lincoln, played by Benjamin Walker, and kill vampires.

The film, based on a book by Seth Grahame-Smith, chronicles Lincoln’s “true” life, in which he goes on a rampage against vampire-kind after a creature, presumably a vampire, kills his mother. Aside from going after vampires, Lincoln also fights the vampire’s ally, slave-owners. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if if this was how the Civil War got started in real life?

Also starring in the film are Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd Lincoln, Dominic Cooper as Mark Sturgess (a character who, according to ScreenCrave, only exists in this universe in order to train Lincoln in the vampire-killing arts) and Anthony Mackie as Will, who is, according to ScreenCrave, Lincoln’s best friend who happens to be at the center of the vampire massacre .

The film hasn’t been given a solid release date, but the film is expected to be in theaters sometime in 2012.

Jimmi Simpson
Jimmi Simpson

By Monique Jones

Monique Jones blogs about race and culture in entertainment, particularly movies and television. You can read her articles at Racialicious, and her new site, COLOR . You can also listen to her new podcast, What would Monique Say.

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