After a near-miss with an ill-conceived Harvey remake (whew!), the contenders for Steven Spielberg's first post-Tintin project have narrowed to a shortlist of five, reports the tireless Mike Fleming at Deadline. Read on for a handy illustrated field guide to help tell apart your Gershwins from your Lincolns, and your War Horses from your robo-soldiers.
Robopocalypse
Plot
Based on the still-unfinished novel by Portland-based sci-fi writer and robots expert Daniel H. Wilson, author of such tongue-in-cheek field manuals as How to Survive a Robot Uprising and How to Build a Robot Army, Robopocalypse is an epic tale of human survival following a robot uprising.
Status
Acquired by DreamWorks in November, Deadline reports it's now moved to the head of the pack.
Spielberg Genetic Makeup
10% A.I.
32% War of the Worlds
28% Minority Report
27% Jurassic Park
3% Schindler's List
Conclusion
It's called Robopocalypse. Just make this thing already.
War Horse
Plot
Based on a 1982 children's book by Michael Morpurgo and Nick Stafford's acclaimed British stage adaptation of a few years ago, it's the story of a horse named Joey shipped to France to fight in World War I, who encounters all manner of dangers and adventure on his journeys abroad. His boy owner eventually sets out in search of him.
Status
Spielberg recently caught the show -- which is opening on Broadway one year from now -- and purchased the rights to the book. Still definitely in the mix, particularly if he's in the mood to recapture some of that childhood wonderment in a bottle.
Spielberg Genetic Makeup
48% E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
37% Empire of the Sun
9% Jaws
6% Always
Conclusion
The reviews for the play have been great, and the world could use another first-person animal story that doesn't involve CGI guinea pig special-ops. This could be sad/wonderful in that Little Prince/Watership Down way if done right.
Gershwin
Plot
A biography of the great American composer, born Jacob Gershowitz in 1898, and who died at just 38 in Hollywood, from a brain tumor. In between he wrote dozens of standards, including "Fascinating Rhythm," "Funny Face," "I Got Rhythm," "Summertime" and "Rhapsody in Blue."
Status
Zachary Quinto was attached to the project and Deadline reported he was getting accent and dialogue coaching, leading many to assume the project was a go. It seems to have cooled since.
Spielberg Genetic Makeup
100% Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (just kidding)
Conclusion
Have you ever sat through an entire production of Porgy and Bess? It's...um...slow. The guy was a genius, but there are several thousand biopics starring Spock that I'd rather see first. How about The Al Gore Story? What? That's sexy stuff!
The 39 Clues
Plot
Based on the Scholastic adventure books, trading cards and multimedia series for kids, it follows brother and sister Amy and Dan Cahill as they embark upon a global scavenger hunt outlined in their grandmother's will. As they search for clues, they learn they are the descendants of historical greats from four family branches, teaching young readers about significant figures along the way.
Status
All's quiet on the Cahill front. Spielberg bought the rights to the series in June 2008, presumably with the intention of kicking off the Hollywood holy grail: a post-_Potter_ children's franchise.
Spielberg Genetic Makeup
52% The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
48% Hook
Conclusion
Playing cards? Websites? iPhone apps? Stealth history? Sounds too busy, gimmicky and educational to be a satisfying film series. (Watch me get an angry phone call from my nieces in 3-2-1...)
Lincoln Civil War Project
Plot
An historical drama about the Great Emancipator focusing on his stress and sadness over the drawn-out, costly Civil War.
Status
The movie has a phenomenal writer and Lincoln -- Tony Kushner and Liam Neeson, respectively -- but it also found budget troubles during the DreamWorks/Regent deal-closing slog, and a competitor: Robert Redford's The Conspirator. Still, Spielberg pledged to Variety that the show will go on, Mr. President. Duck!
Like
48% Amistad
20% Empire of the Sun
32% Saving Private Ryan
Conclusion
Sounds dreary. And now there's yet another, sexier Lincoln movie on the way: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Maybe Spielberg can hit two Abes with one stone and make RoboLincolnPocalypse?