Remember that ginormous project called 39 Clues that was announced awhile back -- a worldwide mystery to span books, interactive games, trading cards and a movie deal, courtesy of Steven Spielberg? The first book in the series, The Maze of Bones, hits shelves all over the world next Tuesday, the same day as its interactive online game. Will it spark an obsession along the lines of Twilight or Harry Potter? Time will tell.

Steven Spielberg has confidence in it, though. Acccording to Variety, he's hired his old pal Jeff Nathanson to pen the script, marking their fourth collaboration together. They paired up previously on The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Spielberg is still eying Clues' director's chair, and it will be interesting to see where this can fit into his busy schedule, where Tintin and Lincoln were taking precedence. Does he want this worldwide money hunt (the prize for solving the project's mystery is $10,000) to be over before the movie, or will the bloom be off the rose by then? What if the whole multiplatform concept fails spectacularly? Are the books still filmable? The ambition of 39 Clues leaves me doubting whether it can deliver -- but I can hardly pretend to have better judgment than Spielberg. At any rate, I'll be watching the book pages with interest to see what audiences make of The Maze of Bones -- if anyone out there buys it, give us the scoop!

A few days ago it was confirmed that Steven Spielberg was putting The Trial of The Chicago 7 on the back burner to work on Tintin full-time. But despite earlier reports that Paul Greengrass had been chosen to take over, it looks like Chicago 7 is still without a director. According to CHUD, they contacted Greengrass and he confirmed that while he thinks it's a 'wonderful project,' and he had considered it; the timing just wasn't right -- and something tells me that a certain spy flick might have taken priority.

The trial of the so-called 'Chicago 7' (eight, if you want to be a stickler for details) was one of the defining moments of the 60's counterculture movement. During the '68 Democratic convention eight people (including the infamous Abbie Hoffman and Black Panther, Bobby Seale) were arrested for inciting a riot and conspiracy. The trial was recently made famous in the documentary, Chicago 10, and according to earlier reports, Sorkin's script is loosely based on Brett Morgen's animated doc.

Erik brought us some casting news earlier in the year, but it seems like nothing is written in stone when it comes to this movie. Spielberg has packed his slate for the coming year, but if I had to choose from his upcoming projects, I would have loved to see him tackle this story (not to mention getting his hands on an Aaron Sorkin script).

Sound off below on who you would like to see take the reigns for The Chicago 7, that is if it ever gets made...

A lot of us totally lost it while watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when our hero hides inside of a refrigerator and survives government testing of a nuclear bomb. Some people went so far as to coin a new term, "nuke the fridge", which is akin to the now-well-known "jump the shark" term, only specifically for film series. It makes sense, though, that they'd be having even bigger issues with the scene over in Japan, where the movie opened mid-June. After all, the country did experience two atomic attacks at the end of WWII and probably understands the ramifications of such a blast better than any other part of the world.

According to the website Japan Today, film critics Ken Terawaki and Hiroo Otaka have been the most outspoken. Otaka wrote against the use of the scene in the movie magazine Kinema Junpo, noting that the scene narratively serves no real purpose and complaining that Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) goes about his adventures unscathed. He also points out that children today -- in both Japan and the U.S. -- are unaware of the real damage caused by a nuclear blast. Other people have been expressing their disapproval on message boards, including one on the film's Japanese website. Not everyone is upset, however, and apparently some people are coming back with the "it's only a movie" retort.

Just to be accommodating, I think Steven Spielberg should include the short documentary Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945, which graphically shows the effects of at least an atomic bomb, as a supplement on the Japanese version of the DVD.

[via Fark.com]

Fans of the world's most famous writer-director based in Philadelphia need not fear. Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan is not abandoning his creative work as a writer and director in favor of restricting himself to production duties. He has, however, formed a new partnership to produce one thriller per year for three years, according to Variety.

M. Night "typically generates more movie ideas than he can execute." The terms of his deal with Media Rights Capital (MRC) mean that M. Night will "create the stories and ideas for the films and pick the writers and directors; MRC will finance." This won't affect his next directorial project, The Last Airbender, which is still set for release by Paramount in 2010.

My first thought was that M. Night is following in the footsteps of Steven Spielberg. You might remember that Spielberg created the TV series Amazing Stories in part because he had so many story ideas that he couldn't do himself. He ended up writing or developing 29 stories (out of 45 episodes). Interestingly, Eric Kohn asked M. Night in an interview last month if it wouldn't be easier for him to "go the independent route." Even though the filmmaker said he's "never had an issue with studios," this sounds like a big step in the independent direction.

And here's a quote that might warm the heart of anyone, including myself, who has been cool about his recent work: "Working with the next wave of innovative filmmakers will teach me many things that I can bring to my own writing/directing and give my stories the opportunity to be brought to the screen in a stunning way."

Dang it's pretty wild how just one little movie has turned Diablo Cody into the most discussed screenwriter since Joe Eszterhas. (I was going to say "...since David Mamet," but he's a playwright first.) The gal has a tons of projects in the percolation stage -- from the Showtime series The United States of Tara to the Fox-heavy thriller known as Jennifer's Body -- and now she's been hired by Steven Spielberg (once again) to turn one of his ideas into a movie. (It's only a matter of time before Spielberg forces Diablo Cody to marry Shia LaBeouf, isn't it?)

According to Variety, the untitled project is a comedy. Oh, also the "studio is keeping story details under such tight wraps that even dealmakers involved with the project were in the dark." That's it. An idea by Spielberg that Cody will adapt. No producers, actors, directors have been announced. And yet ... somehow I know that DreamWorks already has a hit on its hands.

In related news, I think Cody is really cute.

Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark might want to look away right now as what you're about to watch could cause serious damage to your soul. A brief snippet from the upcoming Raiders of the Lost Ark Special Edition DVD has leaked online and, in it, there seems to be a little update from George Lucas. I kinda like the small touches added and think fans will get used to them after awhile. Yup, don't worry ... they'll just blend into the background. I mean, really, who cares about this old flick anyway? It's so ... 1981-ish. That said, I'm sure folks are already in the process of creating an "Indy Shot First" t-shirt. Check it out up top, then let us know what you think? Should we start a petition? Has Lucas lost his mind? And how could Spielberg agree to something like this? Sound off ...

[Thanks Matthew]

I've come to the conclusion that Steven Spielberg must not need any sleep. Because Variety is reporting that he's just added another project to his busy plate: 39 Clues, a multiplatform adventure series that will launch September 9th and run for two years. It spans a series of ten books, collectible cards, and an online game. The game will actually be designed around a contest, where young participants will try to solve the mystery scattered throughout the books, with a chance to win $10,000. Whew! Just typing all that makes me tired, I can't imagine sorting through it to make a movie.

39 Clues does have a neat, Indiana Jones feel to its storyline -- it centers on the most powerful family in the world, the Cahills, who boast Houdini and Napoleon among their relatives. The adventure kicks off in the first book, Maze of Bones, when the death of the Cahill's matriarch, Grace, sparks off a race for the inheritance. She hasn't made it easy, you see: Her last will offers her descendants the choice between $1 million, or a clue. Scattered around the world and throughout history, the clues will reveal the source of the family's secret powers. Spielberg is contemplating taking the director's chair, and aims to have a screenwriter attached in the next few weeks. And the first book hasn't even hit Barnes and Noble yet!

When we last saw a (teaser) trailer for Eagle Eye - the forthcoming thriller that reunites star Shia LaBeouf with Disturbia director D.J. Caruso and Transformers executive producer Steven Spielberg - I commented with something along the lines of, after "reading the synopsis, I've always thought that Caruso and company were following their Rear Window re-do with North by Northwest 2.0."

...which I then followed up with "Whether that's the case or not, I'm a sucker for a chase movie, and more so for [co-star Michelle] Monaghan. Count me in." Well, judging from the new trailer up at Yahoo! Movies, I'll be having a modest amount of crow for lunch later today, as there now seems to be enough distinct differences between that Hitchcock classic and this paranoid techno-thriller that it'll likely excite on its own merits (fingers crossed).

Sure, we seem to have another one of those incredibly elaborate plans on behalf of the baddies that already appears to have too many variables for its own good, but you know what? So long as the thing moves, I'm not above setting aside brains in favor of brawn.

With a cast that also includes Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Chiklis, Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.

Just to clear up, George Lucas is not directing his first non-Star Wars movie in 35 years. I repeat, George Lucas is not returning to the director's chair. Once again ... never mind, I think you've got it.

Two days ago there was an AP story about Lucasfilm's Tuskegee Airmen film, Red Tails -- perhaps you caught my post -- but it didn't note what Lucas' involvement would be. As I wrote, the article seemed to assume that he was directing the project. A number of sites around the web also treated the news (more like an update) as if it claimed that Lucas was indeed helming the WWII-set picture. Others speculated that he was taking the reigns. Well, he's not. He's merely serving as executive producer. There is no director signed on yet.