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Even though you could make the case that none the movie's he's directed since Schindler's List are as good as they should be (even the really, really good ones), I don't believe anyone could accuse Steven Spielberg of ever being satisfied. He's constantly working, either behind the scenes or behind the lens, and he has shown no signs of slowing down.

Variety is reporting that DreamWorks has picked up the movie rights to The 39 Clues, which is an adventure series aimed at the little ones by Scholastic Media, the same publishers of the Harry Potter series. Spielberg may direct it.

We know for certain he'll produce the series, joining Scholastic's Deborah Forte in that role, and he's said to be narrowing down a list of screenwriters and should have one picked out within a few weeks.

What's The 39 Clues? Glad you asked:

"The 39 Clues, which launches Sept. 9, is envisioned as a 10-book series to be released over two years. It's described as a multimedia adventure that will include a set of collectible cards and an online game that will serve as a portal as young readers try to solve a mystery for a grand prize of $10,000. The contest will run for two years."

In the series, the Cahill family is the most powerful clan in the world. Yes, more powerful than even the Jonas Brothers. Anyway, the source of their powers is slowly revealed through a series of 39 clues scattered hither and yon, both in the present and in the past.

It will interesting to see if Spielberg does, in fact, direct, because he's always spinning a lot of plates in the air at once. Currently, he's tied to Lincoln, Tintin, Interstellar, and The Trial The Chicago 7, all of which are due out in the next 30 months and constitute a rather mixed bag. And if he does direct, which should hearken back to Spielberg's fantasy-filled filmmaking of E.T., it's worth wondering if he'll direct more than one film; DreamWorks CEO confirms there's enough material to make "three or four movies." Seems like they could follow the Potter approach, and with Spielberg's clout, he could get almost anyone he wants to direct for him.