According to the Hollywood trades, the Oscar-winning director is in serious negotiations to helm Big Fish, a film combining comedy, drama and fantasy about an estranged father and son.
Adapted by writer John August (Go) from the novel by Daniel Wallace, the project was cast Spielberg's way by producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, whose American Beauty net DreamWorks the studio's first Best Picture Oscar.
Fish centers on a man who desperately wants to reconcile with his dying braggart of a father, whose penchant for telling tall tales has made it difficult to get to know the man. The son begins to sort out all the stories his father has told, and tries to weed out fact from fiction.
If Spielberg hooks into Fish, shooting will commence next summer, once he completes work on 20th Century Fox's Minority Report, the director's much-anticipated teaming with Tom Cruise.
Spielberg is currently prepping his next film, A.I., his first feature in three years, for a fall start date.