Actor Lee Pace has joined the cast of the upcoming biopic Lincoln for DreamWorks and director Steven Spielberg.

The actor, who will next be seen in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, will play New York City mayor Fernando Wood. The character is an early ally to the Confederate cause, who frequently corresponded with President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis).

Steven Spielberg is directing Lincoln from a screenplay by Tony Kushner (Munich). It isn't clear when production will start on Lincoln quite yet.

Lee Pace will also start shooting his role of King Thranduil in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sometime this fall.