NEW YORK - A multimedia-multi-author narrative being planned by the U.S. publisher of the Harry Potter books has picked up a famous patron: Steven Spielberg.
DreamWorks Studios has acquired the film rights to "The 39 Clues," a mystery series-online game that Scholastic will debut in September. Spielberg, director of "Jaws," "Schindler's List" and the "Indiana Jones" films, says he's hoping to direct.
"`The 39 Clues' takes creative leaps to expand the story experience from the pages of the books to multiple stages of discovery and imagination," Spielberg said Wednesday in a joint statement issued by DreamWorks and Scholastic Media. "Together with Scholastic, we have the opportunity to develop this property that says `film,' `family,' `fun' and `franchise.'"
"The 39 Clues," which also features a set of 355 collectible cards, is a planned 10-book series about a powerful, mysterious family that lives in upstate New York. The first installment, "The Maze of Bones," was written by Rick Riordan, author of the best-selling "The Lightning Thief." Jude Watson and Gordon Korman are among those who will write future volumes.
