Is it just me, or have I written about potential Steven Spielberg projects at least half a dozen times over the past few weeks? Every other day it seems this guy is picking up something new – from taking on a remake of Harvey to possibly producing a live-action Halo movie to this latest bit of news about Spielberg producing – and most likely directing – a pirate movie based on a book from the late Michael Crichton.
Crichton and Spielberg are no strangers, of course, since the latter brought the former's novels for Jurassic Park and The Lost World to the big screen all those years ago. This new novel, which will hit stands on November 24th, is called Pirate Latitudes and is described as a "mission movie" set in Jamaica in 1665 that involves "a daring plan to infiltrate Port Royal, one of the world's richest and most notorious cities, and raid a Spanish galleon filled with treasure."
Spielberg's DreamWorks partner Stacey Snider doesn't come right out and say that Spielberg will be directing the film, though she does admit that he's always wanted to direct a pirate film. In the meantime, all parties will be waiting for a script from David Koepp (who adapted both Jurassic Park and The Lost World) before setting up a production schedule. And as far as whether a film like this will directly compete against Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Snider says it won't because this is based more in reality, whereas Pirates of the Caribbean is more fantasy based.
So here's the big question: Will Spielberg take this on before Harvey, or will he pump out Harvey and then go directly into Pirate Latitudes? Either way it seems two films probably won't be happening anytime soon – his long overdue Abraham Lincoln biopic and another Indiana Jones movie (unless someone else directs – ahem, George Lucas …).
