Steven Spielberg is now like the cool dad of modern American filmmaking. When you were a kid, there was nobody better, and even as you’ve grown up and broadened your horizons, you still hold a special spot in your heart for the guy whenever you see he’s got a new movie coming out. He directs dignified pictures about dignified topics, guiding us through the dad-approved subjects of war, terrorism, and U.S. history. He’s a warm-but-authoritative presence, kindly and wise. Most recently, he stuck to his wheelhouse with the dad-ready historical-war-courtroom drama Bridge of Spies and rightfully won plaudits for his characteristically deft directorial style. But the biggest achievement on Spielberg’s plate at the moment is the formation of Amblin Partners, a new production company between the director and his frequent collaborator Jeff Skoll.
Deadline sat down with Spielberg to discuss Bridge of Spies, the new company, and Spielberg’s ambitions for the future when the director made a bold, heartening promise. Ownership of various creative property rights will shift around in the wake of this new deal, leading some to believe that Spielberg may dip back into his own filmography when crafting future films (after the scheduled Big Friendly Giant and Ready Player One adaptations), with Jaws being one of the most murmured-about films in his catalog. Spielberg set the record straight — sort of:
“I would never remake one of my own movies — starting with Jaws — but there are Amblin titles in the library that could inspire new stories that were made popular by the films. There isn’t a single title that I’ve earmarked, but yes, I would like to.”
Hang on. In the span of three sentences, did he go from saying that he would never remake one of his own movies to that he would like to? Spielberg’s a master prestidigitator of the cinema, but this is a bush-league fast one. It sounds like while audiences can rest assured we won’t have to contend with Steven Spielberg Presents: Re-Jaws any time soon, we could very well end up with something along the lines of Jaws: Origins or Jaws: Fallen Shark Rising or some other horrendous abuse of the colon. You directed Schindler’s List, Spielberg; make the integrity move.
