Lucas and Spielberg teaming on something that's not Indy 4?

Lucas and Spielberg. Spielberg and Lucas. Together, these two men changed the face of Hollywood blockbusters. They're two of filmdom's living demi-gods, who hold so much clout in the industry that almost anything they want done gets done, with little or no question. In 1981, the two powerhouses united and gave the world Raiders of the Lost Ark and the character of Indiana Jones. The film and its two sequels are some of the most beloved adventure movies of the last 25 years (Temple of Doom not so much), and the two forces behind the film were seen then as unstoppable goliaths of the screen. As of late, Spielberg has entered a new stage of his filmmaking career, one where he gets to make the film of his choosing, and most of his recent films have been dark, cerebral blockbusters that are more story-driven than his earlier work (even Catch Me if You Can, a considerably more lightweight film, carries with it some rather mature style choices on Spielberg's part). Lucas isn't seen in as favorable a light, however, as thousands of angry Internet fanboys continue to piss and moan about the prequel trilogy (and despite all their comments that they don't care about Star Wars anymore, they sure can't seem to shut up about them). Most anxiously awaited, though, is what Spielberg and Lucas will do next, hoping that whatever it is it will involve them working together again. Every day that seems more and more likely, with preproduction seeming to gear up for Indiana Jones 4 soon, and you'd think that'd be enough to keep them busy.

Of course, knowing the regular work horses that these two men are (even when Lucas was on his 20-year hiatus he had his hand in a number of things, and he's worked exhaustively on the prequels), this latest rumor doesn't seem all that surprising. It seems that George and Steven are considering collaborating on an entirely knew work, based on the upcoming novel The End of Time, written by Randall Towe. The novel, described as an apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is being released this spring, although it appears the film rights have already been sold (presumably to Dreamworks). No official word is out from any mentioned camps, and given how busy Lucas and Spielberg both are any sort of plans being spoken of right now should be considered iffy at best.

Personally, as long as I get Indiana Jones 4 before I die I'll be perfectly happy, but any project that brings two of the wizards of Hollywood back together is worth noting, whether it proves true or not. Hopefully there's more to this than there was to the rumors of Pixar and Myazaki joining up last year. Hey, a guy can dream, right?