Will Steven Spielberg direct a new film adaptation of the Matt Helm spy series? That's the speculation in Variety:

Steven Spielberg is seriously considering a film that DreamWorks developed for several years before leaving it behind at Paramount as part of the divorce settlement between the two companies.

But the question of whether Spielberg will direct involves a series of complex issues that touch on the relationship between Paramount and DreamWorks, and the latter studio's new finance partner, Reliance.

Spielberg's camp said he is attached to produce, but it's unclear if he's going to direct. Clearly, Spielberg is excited about the project again after the rewrite that Paul Attanasio delivered last week.

Matt Helm is based on a series of 27 novels written by Donald Hamilton, about a government agent whose mission is to take down enemy agents. While the novels were set in the Cold War era after World War II, the current script is set in the present.