Neeson quits Spielberg's Lincoln film

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Northern Irish-born actor Liam Neeson says he is now too old to play U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's long-gestating bio-pic.

Neeson is 58 and Lincoln was 56 when he was assassinated in 1865.

Although director Spielberg has talked for years about re-teaming with his "Schindler's List" star on the Lincoln project and Neeson long seemed keen to play the role, no date had been set for production to begin.

"I'm past my sell-by date," Neeson told Britain's GMTV last week.

"That project has never seemed to come to fruition so he just moved on a couple of years ago," Neeson's publicist later told EW.com.

"It is a film we all hope to make," Spielberg's representative at DreamWorks told EW.com. "So much depends on timing and all the elements coming together at the right moment. 'Schindler's List' was around here for over 10 years. It was worth it, wouldn't you say?"

Neeson said in an interview with UPI in early 2009: "(Spielberg) asked me four years ago, would I do it. I said, 'Let me think about it.' And I did and I said: 'I've thought about it. Yes.'"

Asked if he had been doing a lot of reading up on the 16th U.S. president to prepare for the role, Neeson quipped, "I'm almost an expert on Abraham Lincoln. ...

"But, we'll not go down there because there's over 2,000 books written on him. There's one coming out at the moment, every month, this being his bicentennial this year," the actor added. "It's crying out to be told -- what went into the formation of the United States. It's an extraordinary story. But it's in the works and (Spielberg) will do it, I'm sure, when he's ready."