While DreamWorks Pictures continues to doubt their partnership with Paramount, the studio has purchased the screen rights to what looks to be a big upcoming franchise from Scholastic Media. To put some extra sizzle on the project, Steven Spielberg is looking to direct.
Steven Spielberg Possibly to Direct The 39 Clues
The 39 Clues is a multiplatform adventure series to be launched in the fall by Scholastic Media. Spielberg is already onboard to produce alongside Deborah Forte and he plans to work directly with the screenwriter; who is expected to be selected in the next few weeks.
The 39 Clues, which launches Sept. 9, is envisioned as a 10-book series to be released over two years. It's described as a multimedia adventure that will include a set of collectible cards and an online game that will serve as a portal as young readers try to solve a mystery for a grand prize of $10,000. The contest will run for two years.
It is still unclear on whether the project will remain with Paramount or follow Spielberg to DreamWorks when the studio re-establishes itself as its own entity.
The first book in the series will be titled The Maze of Bones and it will offer the first clue. You can use this and the other 38 clues to learn more about the most powerful family in the world, the Cahills, who count Napoleon and Houdini among their relatives. Readers will be challenged to discover the source of the family's powers, revealed through 39 clues that are hidden around the world and scattered throughout history.
With so many books/stories, the franchise could amount to at least a trilogy.
There is enough material here for three or four movies," Snider told Daily Variety. "Steven is very involved and passionate. This excites me as an executive but also as a mother. It is an educational, challenging interactive experience that hits kids where they live."
Add to Heffee!
