Spielberg eyeing British sci-fi novel for feature

In addition to just closing a major deal to go independent from Paramount Studios, DreamWorks has acquired the screen rights to the 1968 sci-fi novel Chocky, by late British science fiction writer John Wyndham, who is famous for writing The Day of the Triffids, which was also adapted in a film in 1962. According to a story by The Hollywood Reporter, Steven Spielberg is looking at the adaptation for his next directing gig.

The story follows a boy with a mysterious imaginary friend who turns out to be an alien entity that has injected itself into his consciousness.

What’s unclear is how this project will be handled, with the just-ended Paramount deal, and their stake in DreamWorks’ upcoming projects. Other projects that are under similar legal scrutiny include The Trial of the Chicago 7, a live-action version of the 2007 Brett Morgen-directed animated/live-action mashup doc about anti-war protesters put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which Spielberg also planned to direct; an Abraham Lincoln Civil War epic written by Tony Kushner; Cowboys and Aliens, the long-in-development comic adaptation surrounding cowboys going head-to-head with aliens in the old west, with Robert Downey Jr. attached to star; and an adaptation of The 39 Clues series of books that Spielberg has also shown an interest in directing.

Below is the trailer for the 1962 film The Day of the Triffids.