Peter Jackson to Work With DreamWorks, Spielberg



It is, in a sense, a match made in Nirvana: Peter Jackson, the certifiable sci-fi geek, gets to work with Steven Spielberg, the alchemically concocted Overlord-Master of Time and Space (With special attention paid to Hollywood). But, Hark! What's that sound? Oh, no worries, True Believer: That gnashing of teeth and howling of Despair? That's just stubborn New Line CEO Robert K. Shaye -- the man who let Jackson go for monetary reasons-- slowly eating his heart out as New Line goes ... sideways. From Variety:

"Peter Jackson will make his next movie at DreamWorks.

"Committing at least $65 million, DreamWorks, in association with Film 4, has won the bidding for Jackson's bigscreen adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestselling 2002 tome 'The Lovely Bones.'

"Announcement came early Friday evening, capping a weeklong auction that had three other majors -- Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal and Sony -- vying for Jackson's project as well.

"DreamWorks was a natural fit -- DreamWorks fought hard for the film rights to Sebold's book for several years ago before the rights went to Jackson. Also, Steven Spielberg has long wanted to work with Jackson."

Robert K. Shaye will just have to get by on "The Last Mimzy" (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), while double-fisted moneymaker Peter Jackson does his thing at DreamWorks. (Variety)