Saving Private Ryan
Spielberg directs this World War II drama starring Tom Hanks. Noted for its realistic battle scenes, the film follows a group of soldiers after the Normandy landing, searching for a missing paratrooper.
When people see World War II movies, they expect to be entertained. If they see a Vietnam movie, they expect to be shocked. But World War II has become fun: They want a big action-adventure. But it wasn’t an adventure. It was a war.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Spielberg directs this science fiction film based on a screenplay by Stanley Kubrick. A young boy who is actually a robot lives in a futuristic society where machines have become essentially sentient. Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, and Frances O’Connor star.
I would speculate that Stanley [Kubrick] would have made and told much the same story I told because I based my screenplay on a 90-page treatment [concept] Stanley had prepared from all of his own ideas.
Minority Report
Spielberg directs a science fiction film thriller starring Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, and Samantha Morton. The film is set in a futuristic world were special psychics called “precogs” inform police about crimes before they are ever committed.
I went to Scott Frank for the screenplay. He wrote Get Shorty and Out of Sight. I gave him the original short story by Philip K. Dick and he said he didn’t know anything about science fiction. I said, ‘Let me worry about the sci fi element. Just write a terrific detective yarn’.
Catch Me If You Can
Spielberg directs the true story about a likable young con man, and the FBI agent who attempts to track him down. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the con man, and Tom Hanks plays the agent.
I committed to directing Catch Me If You Can not because of the divorce component, but principally because Frank Abagnale did things that were the most astonishing scams I had ever heard. And I’m a big fan of scams.
The Terminal
Spielberg directs this drama about a man from a foreign country trapped in an airline terminal for a very, very long time. During his time there he meets new friends, deals with tragedy, and falls in love. Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Chi McBride star.
It was going to be a tremendous performance opportunity for Tom [Hanks], and I wanted to be in on that, around that … I wanted to be in his zone
‘Lightning storm of comic genius’
Spielberg praises the actor he directed in the lead role of Peter Pan in Hook for his intense comedic performances:
Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him. He was a pal and I can’t believe he’s gone.
Returns to Warner Bros.
After a fourteen year absence, Spielberg returns to Warner Bros. He is pegged to direct Ready Player One.
We are thrilled to welcome Steven back to Warner Bros. We had an historic series of collaborations in the 1980s and 1990s and have wanted to bring him back for years.
Sells house for $26 million
Spielberg sells his Malibu mansion for $26 million. The house is sold in an off-market deal and not in the multiple listing service. The house features seven bedrooms and ten bathrooms, formal living and dining rooms, a massage room and a home theater. Outside the house are a swimming pool and spa, and a two-bedroom guesthouse. Spielberg bought the property in two separate transactions in 1989 and 2000, paying a total of $6.575 million. When Spielberg and his family were not at home, he rented the property during the summer for $125,000 a month.
Jurassic World sequel announced
Universal Pictures announces the sequel to Jurassic World, to be released June 22, 2018. Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, the co-writers of Jurassic World, will write the sequel, although Trevorrow will not direct. No director has been announced. Spielberg returns as executive director and Marshall will resume his role as producer. Pratt and Howard are confirmed to star.
Bridge of Spies trailer
The trailer is released for Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, based on the story of a United States U-2 spy plane that was shot down over a Soviet airspace.
