Lots of filmmakers can say Steven Spielberg influenced them. But there are select few who can point to a more direct interaction. One such example is Let’s Be Cops** Luke Greenfield who has just seen a long-gestating script called Destiny bought by DreamWorks.
Not much is known about the basic concept beyond the pitch line reported by Deadline: a supernatural love story about a struggling designer who must overcome his fears and uncertainty. But the connection runs much deeper than a deal with Spielberg’s company.
It was born from the then 16-year-old Greenfield’s mother writing to Spielberg enclosing copies of her son’s Super 8 movies and asking the man behind **E.T. and Jurassic Park **if he thought Greenfield had what it took as a filmmaker. Spielberg responded with a two-page letter of encouragement and advice and that led Greenfield to a career in films. Fast-forward to shortly after the release of 2004’s **The Girl Next Door **and Spielberg invites him in for a general meeting. Surprised by their history, he asked him if he had any ideas, and Greenfield pitched Destiny, which he’d dreamt up after the letter from Spielberg arrived in 1998.
Greenfield initially had to hand the idea over to New Regency because of his contract with the company, but after a few years sitting in limbo, DreamWorks has now snapped it up. The director is working on the script with City Of Angels scribe Dana Stevens. There’s no indication whether it’ll be his next film, though, as he has several other projects in development. But a chance to work on a film inspired by Spielberg’s advice with oversight from the man himself? We’d be surprised if this didn’t leap into pole position on his schedule.