The 39 Clues

The 10 books of “The 39 Clues” series are to be released over two years. “The 39 Clues” is described as a multimedia adventure that will include a set of collectible cards and an online game that will serve as a portal as young readers try to solve a mystery for a grand prize of $10,000. The contest will run for the full two years.

At the center of “The 39 Clues” is the Cahills, the most powerful family in the world. Counted among their relatives are Benjamin Franklin, Mozart, Napoleon and Houdini. At the beginning of the first book, “The Maze of Bones,” the family matriarch, Grace, dies just after changing her will. Her descendants are given the choice between $1 million or a clue. The series will follow Amy (14) and Dan (11) Cahill who enter into a race against other branches of the family to be the first to find the 39 clues which are hidden and scattered around the world and that will lead to the secret of the family’s power.

“There is enough material here for three or four movies,” DreamWorks co-chair/CEO Stacey Snider told Daily Variety. “Steven is very involved and passionate. This excites me as an executive but also as a mother. It is an educational, challenging interactive experience that hits kids where they live.”

I think this sounds exactly like something Spielberg would be interested in and would be good at bringing to the screen. I think it unlikely that he would choose to direct three or four movies, but I could see him maybe doing the first one or two to sort of set the tone and feel of the films before handing them off to someone else.

Should Spielberg choose to direct a film in the series, however, it would have to wait a bit. Spielberg’s next film is Tintin which he’s doing with Peter Jackson then he’s already committed to the long-gestating Lincoln biopic project that Liam Neeson will be starring in.