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Earlier this year, legendary director Steven Spielberg made headlines when he revealed in an interview that he’s interested in directing a television series and would’ve loved to make, for example, HBO’s Mare of Easttown.
Now, either because Spielberg and HBO already had something in the works, or because they wisely called him after hearing these comments, reports have revealed that Spielberg is developing a limited series for the iconic network.
“I do have an appetite for long-form, and someday, I will direct a long-form series,” Spielberg told Smartless hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes.
“I mean, if someone would have brought me Mare of Easttown, I would have done that. That was a beautifully directed story.”
According to the man himself, the iconic 76-year-old filmmaker — whose most recent film, The Fabelmans, is nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards — is producing an HBO miniseries based on Stanley Kubrick’s unrealized screenplay for Napoleon, which is widely considered to be “one of the greatest films never made.”
Steven Spielberg told #Berlinale2023 that he's adapting Stanley Kubrick's lost film 'Napoleon' into a limited series for HBO pic.twitter.com/PBqHzPQNkt
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 21, 2023
At this time, there are no details about the cast or when production will begin. It’s also unclear whether or not Spielberg will have a hand in directing the series, either.
Steven Spielberg says he’s developing a 7-part limited series for HBO based on Stanley Kubrick's lost film ‘NAPOLEON’. pic.twitter.com/ey6nZfvdvN
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 21, 2023
Kubrick’s Napoleon movie is such a fixture of fascination amongst film fans that a book about it — Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made — was published over a decade ago. Speilberg’s Napoleon project isn’t the only one due out in coming years, as the Ridley Scott-directed and Joaquin Phoenix-starring film about the infamous French general is set to release in 2023.
In addition to the HBO miniseries, Spielberg is also set to direct Bradley Cooper in a reimagining of the 1968 Steve McQueen-starring action flick Bullitt.