I know it’s very popular to trash Brett Ratner as a hack, uninteresting, paint-by-numbers type of filmmaker, but personally I am interested in his work. Overall, his films are fun, extremely broad and somewhat exciting to watch.

Deadline.com is reporting his next project will be “The 39 Clues” based on the widely popular young adult series. Dreamworks is the studio behind this project so it led most to believe Steven Spielberg might direct, namely due to the fact, his long time collaborator, Jeff Nathanson, is set to pen the screenplay adaptation. Nathanson also wrote “Catch Me, If You Can”, “The Terminal” and “Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull” for Spielberg. Nathanson has also worked with Brett Ratner in the past, with projects like the “Rush Hour” series and “Tower Heist”.

“The 39 Clues” Synopsis: When their beloved Aunt Grace dies, Dan, 11, and Amy, 14—along with other Cahill descendants—are faced with an unusual choice: inherit one million dollars or participate in a perilous treasure hunt. Cahills have determined the course of history for centuries, and this quest’s outcome will bring the victors untoward power and affect all of humankind. Against the wishes of nasty Aunt Beatrice, their reluctant guardian since their parents’ deaths, Dan and Amy accept the challenge, convincing their college-age au pair to serve as designated adult. Pitted against other Cahill teams, who will stop at nothing to win, the siblings decipher the first of 39 clues and are soon hot on the historical trail of family member Ben Franklin to unearth the next secret.

With all these connections, do you think Steven Spielberg is “grooming” Brett Ratner to be his protégé or successor in Hollywood?

Source: Deadline.com

by Rudie Obias