Cruise, Spielberg Go to War

by The Studio Geek · Published March 17, 2004 · Updated

JUST ANNOUNCED!
Steven Spielberg will team with Tom Cruise to bring a remake of the classic H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds to theaters. Spielberg will direct, and Cruise is expected to star.

Variety is reporting that this sci-fi epic could begin filming in late 2005, depending on how soon the two Hollywood heavyweights see a script they like. David Koepp, who worked with Spielberg on the first two Jurassic Park movies, is rewriting a draft by Josh Friedman (The Black Dahlia).

War has been in development at Paramount for some time, but the project was delayed due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. With Steven Spielberg signing on, DreamWorks will partner with Paramount.

The two studios have several other co-financed films already under way, including Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey, and another Cruise movie – Collateral.
Source: Variety.com/Movies.com