April 22, 2014 - 12:35 AMT
Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg partnering for Cold War thriller

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are partnering again as Hanks has become attached to an untitled thriller set during the Cold War that Spielberg is eying to direct for DreamWorks, according to Variety.

Marc Platt will produce with Spielberg, with Matt Charman penning the script.

Plot is based on the true story of James Donovan (Hanks), a prominent American attorney enlisted by the CIA during the Cold War to slip behind the iron curtain to negotiate the release of a pilot captured when his U-2 spy plane was shot down over Russia.

The pic is one of a handful of projects Spielberg is eying to helm. The other projects include the DreamWorks-Fox co-production “Robopocalypse” and the historical drama “Montezuma,” which Steve Zaillian is penning.

Variety reported last week “Robopocalypse” was the front-runner to be that next project given how close it is to a greenlight with a budget nearly finalized. Sources close to Spielberg stress no pic has been selected and there are some who say if Spielberg isn’t keen on tackling a big tentpole, the idea of reteaming with Hanks for a fourth time is intriguing.

Hanks and Spielberg have worked together on three films, “Saving Private Ryan,” “Catch Me if You Can” and “The Terminal.” Though “The Terminal” underperformed, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Catch Me if You Can” were winners both at the box office and during award season and this could see similar results.