Spielberg helming 'Helm'? (VAR)

By Nancy Tartaglione

The question "what will his next project be?" is asked often these days about two very big Hollywood names: Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. This week, there may be an answer in the case of the former. Variety reports that Spielberg is seriously considering "Matt Helm," a film that DreamWorks developed for several years before leaving it behind at Paramount. But the road to helming "Helm" is a complex one...

"Matt Helm," of which Paul Attanasio delivered a rewrite last week, is 100% owned by Paramount - ie, not even one of the projects left over from the Paramount/DWorks divorce that would allow the latter the option to co-finance and co-distribute.

As Spielberg and Stacey Snider near the closing of DreamWorks' financing with Reliance and their new deal with Disney, they would like nothing more than to have those partners be part of Spielberg's next picture, opines Variety.

But Paramount is under no obligation to make that deal, and it's unclear whether the studio will step up to Spielberg's traditionally rich terms.

Confident that "Matt Helm" can launch a franchise, Paramount brass have an interesting decision to make: Having made a concerted effort to cut back on first-dollar gross deals, the studio could save money by going with another filmmaker. Then again, Spielberg is Spielberg.

"Matt Helm" is based on a series of 27 novels written by Donald Hamilton about a government agent whose mission is to take down enemy agents. A series of tongue-in-cheek films was made with Dean Martin playing Helm as a playboy spy, but the tone of Attanasio's script is closer to that of "The Bourne Identity."

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing. Variety expects the situation to be played out by week's end.