What Should Steven Spielberg Direct Next?
Monday Morning Poll: What Should Steven Spielberg Direct Next?
Following back-to-back films in 2005, director Steven Spielberg is taking some time off, or so he says. However, the past few weeks have been filled with rumors surrounding which project the man will take on next. Even with its instability, Indiana Jones 4 is all but a lock to begin filming sometime in 2007, with a projected release date of summer 2008. Okay, so is it safe to say Indy 4 will be his next pic? Can Steven Spielberg really go almost three years without a film in theaters?
If not, then perhaps one of several Spielberg-linked projects currently in development will slide in between now and Harrison Ford riding off into the sunset ... again. Well, that's if you don't count his reality television show, On the Lot. Honestly, Spielberg is just as involved with that project as I am involved with Ryan Seacrest's personal life. And if you've read this blog long enough, then you know exactly how involved that is.
So, if Spielberg does decide to squeeze a film out of his, er, brain sometime in 2007, which one will it be? Seeing as Indy 4 will travel the summer blockbuster route, could Stevie go with a smaller, character driven piece ala Munich? Ooohh, or will he go totally indie on us and spit out some tiny, $3 million festival pic? In case you've missed all of the current possibilities, let me recap:
- First up, we have the untitled Abraham Lincoln biopic that's been on hold for quite sometime now. Pic, which was supposed to star Liam Neeson, might be a nice, quiet film with Oscar potential.
- Next we have this untitled Kip Thorne-inspired sci-fi film in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This seems as if it is a bit too ambitious to take on before Indy 4. And, not for nothing, but Spielberg's last two sci-fi films weren't all that spectacular.
- And, last but not least, according to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, there's another film peaking Spielberg's interest. This one is based off a script by Rod Lurie and revolves around the "glitzy New York media world." I have no idea what this is about, but I do enjoy the word 'glitzy' and feel people should use it more often.
So, I ask you: Which project should Steven Spielberg direct next? Indie or blockbuster? Should he focus all his energy on Indy 4 or attempt to squeeze out one of the above mentioned films beforehand?
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Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. how about nothing. Jaws was a great film, but looking at what he's churned out since leads me to believe that it must have been a combination of the writers, producers, actors etc. that made it great since Spielberg hasn't been able to make anything nearly as good since, despite having a blank check for thirty years. Spielberg won the lottery by emerging at a time when the auteur theory was all the rage. His films since have all suffered from weak scripts, presumably because Spielberg has bad taste in material or he orders scripts tailor made to showcase his sacharine directorial style. liam neeson as abe lincoln. ugh.
Posted at 11:44AM on Jun 26th 2006 by chimpie 0 stars
3. Well im a Steven Spielberg fan and yea im kina sad that hes not gunna make any films in 2007. But think of it this way, Steven makes good films we all know that he makes them good even if they take awhile the only reason mayb hes not doing any films is that he just made "War of the worlds" and "Munich" and just produced Monster House with Robert Zemikiz. Anyway mayb he wants to spend time with his family or mayb hes working with Gerorge Lucas the (creator of "Star Wars" trilogy and "Indiana Jones" trilogy)or mayb hhes working with the writers of Steves next new film "The Wormwhole" but if i had to choice I would probally say......... "The Wormwhole"
Posted at 3:46PM on Jun 26th 2006 by Cristian MolinaSteven Spielberg est un cinéaste prolifique qui n'a plus de temps à perdre pour mener à bien ses projets. Bonne nouvelle : alors que sa Guerre des mondes sort demain sur nos écrans hexagonaux, il a déjà commencé à tourner sur l'île de Malte un nouveau long-métrage, Vengeance, sur le massacre d’athlètes israéliens par des terroristes palestiniens au cours des Jeux Olympiques de Munich en septembre 1972.
Constat alléchant : le film comptera dans sa distribution les acteurs Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Marie-Josée Croze, Geoffrey Rush et Mathieu Kassovitz. Casting hétéroclite de bon aloi. Vengeance commencera par le massacre des athlètes et se focalisera par la suite sur les représailles commanditées par le premier ministre israélien Golda Meir, après que ses services aient identifié les palestiniens responsables. Le sujet, polémique, peut fort légitimement laisser craindre les pires réactions au sein des différentes communautés réligieuses.
La sortie du film est prévue aux États-Unis le 23 décembre 2005 et en France le 25 janvier 2006. Après Vengeance, le cinéaste will keep the good work et devrait immédiatement enchaîner sur un film autour d'Abraham Lincoln et peut-être sur Indiana Jones 4. Pour qui sonne le glas ? Pas pour Steven Spielberg, c'est certain.
FO
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 CINE : LA GUERRE DES MONDES Avec La guerre des mondes, Steven Spielberg dévoile les extra-terrestres ... | ||
June 26, 2006
Steven Spielberg to appear in John Ford documentary
Producer Frank Marshall recently mentioned that Steven Spielberg will be appearing in a documentary about legendary director John Ford ("The Searchers," "The Grapes of Wrath"), yet curiously, the documentary was released back in 1971!
Director Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 documentary "Directed by John Ford," is actually getting a new life 35 years after its original release. According to Marshall, the documentary is being recut and updated with new interviews featuring luminaries and Ford fans as notable as Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood.
Spielberg has long credited Ford's influence on his craft and career, having called Ford "the perfect filmmaker." One only needs to look at films like "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" or "War of the Worlds" to see subtle and not-so-subtle nods to Ford's visual style, or "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" for direct references to Ford's work itself. And one only needs to look at Spielberg's output (often shooting two films a year, for instance) to see Ford's influence on Spielberg's work ethic.
The updated "Directed by John Ford" will be broadcast this October on the fantastic Turner Classic Movies cable channel.
Malta has influences from Italy, France, England and moreBY JOHN BORSDENCharlotte (N.C.) ObserverWhat's it like to live in a far-off place most of us see only on a vacation? Foreign Correspondence is an interview with someone who lives in a spot you may want to visit.
David Montebello, 43, is part owner of the British Hotel in Valletta, the capital of Malta. He was born and raised in the island nation, which is between Sicily and Libya, in the Mediterranean Sea.
Q. Your hotel is in downtown Valletta; what does the city look like?
A. It is an old and officially protected city — a European Heritage City — that is 400 years old. And it is beautiful, with a view overlooking the Grand Harbour. You can see cruisers passing right in front of us. It is a natural harbor and is filled with cruise ships from all over, military ships that sail over from Sicily, which is only 60 miles away. We have a free port on the other side of the island, Marsaxlokk, which mostly handles container ships.
Valletta has maybe 22,000 people, but isn't that compact compared to other places in Malta.
Valletta is full of old fortifications. It was built in 1565 by the Knights of St. John, following the great siege by invading Turks.
The Turks tried to take over our island but never did; they invaded and raided Malta repeatedly, so the Knights and Maltese built Valletta. It replaced Mdina as the capital.
Their old fort is still standing. Go to my Web site — www.britishhotel.com — and you can see pictures of it. For more information, go to www.visitmalta.com, the Maltese Tourism site.
Q. What happened to the Knights? Are they still there?
A. Yes, they're here. The crusading Order of Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem was kicked off the island of Rhodes, in Greece, by the Turks in 1530; they were given this island, and ruled it until 1798, when the French under Napoleon captured the island. The French were beaten by the British, who ruled Malta until independence in 1964.
The Knights still have their world base here. They only wear uniforms for special occasions, like at diplomatic functions. But their grand master still lives in the fort.
Q. So you have this medieval military order ...
A. Most are businessmen or doctors or something like that. Being a Knight of St. John is not a full-time job. It's like the Lions Club, or Rotary. More a philanthropy thing. They hold functions to aid charities.
Q. What about the Maltese cross?
A. What you see on our national flag is the George cross. It was a medal awarded Malta after World War II for bravery by King George of Britain. It is the only island ever to get this honor.
The Maltese cross is eight-pointed and mostly a jewelry thing.
Q. What about "The Maltese Falcon" — the famous Bogart movie about a jewel-encrusted bird ...
A. I saw it recently. More recently, "Munich" was filmed here — some scenes in our hotel! Some of the movie was set in Greece and Israel; those scenes were shot here because Malta has that same look. Steven Spielberg was here for a week.
Quite a few films have been made in Malta, actually.
Q. Which movie looks most like Malta?
A. I'd say "Cutthroat Island." It was about pirates and was all filmed here. It starred Geena Davis and Matthew Modine.
Q. What language do you guys speak?
A. The official language is Maltese, which is only spoken here. It's a Semitic language. It owes a bit to the original settlers, who came from Palestine and Phoenicia in pre-Roman times. And because we're so close to Sicily, most of us speak Italian. My family is originally from Italy.
All of us speak English. Most speak some French now, too.
In the streets, we usually use a mixture of Maltese and English. There are quite a few residents here from British days. We even drive on the left, like the British.
Q. It's a small island. Is there much to see and do?
A. The island is about 122 square miles; you can reach the other side of the island in half an hour. For people who like history and culture, we have temples that are thousands of years old — older than Stonehenge. We have a Mediterranean climate — it's in the 80s now. There's swimming and diving, so you can have a sea-and-sun holiday.
Q. How's the diving?
A. The sea is beautiful, there's a lagoon that's fantastic, and there are some great sites. People mostly dive around wrecks. There are quite a few from World War II, and there are modern ones — ships the government buys and sinks to create diving attractions.
Q. Best land attractions?
A. Definitely Valletta. And the old city of Mdina, the old capital, where the nobility used to live. We call it the Silent City; it's under historical protection and cars can't enter it. So it's quiet, except in the mornings when tourists are there to see the cathedral.
One of the best times to visit Malta is early November, when it's cooler and there are fewer tourists. April weather is fantastic but it's busy — a time of religious feasts, and people come here just to see the processions in the streets.
Q. What's Maltese food like?
A. Similar to Italian, but the meat specialty is rabbit. Try the stuffed vegetables: aubergines — you call it eggplant — zucchini and cabbage. We have big macaroni, pasta with octopus sauce and other dishes.
Q. Expensive?
A. Not really. With wine, desert and coffee and everything, a good meal will cost maybe 8 to 10 Maltese liri (about $23.74-$29.68).
Q. What souvenir should you buy for your suitcase that says "Malta"?
A. Go for the local wine. Try the local merlot. Marsovin is a good brand; so is Telicata. Those are the two big houses. They also make Chardonnay, shiraz and other wines. They're really good, and you can buy a bottle of good Maltese wine from a grocer or wine shop for 6 Maltese liri ($17.80).
1. My crystal ball says that Lincoln will be next...
Posted at 11:41AM on Jun 26th 2006 by David Mulholland 0 stars