Nathanson to pen movie

Jeff Nathanson is adapting the first book of Rick Riordan's kids' series, The Maze of Bones (part of The 39 Clues), for DreamWorks. Steven Spielberg added The 39 Clues post-Indy IV projects a couple of months ago. Nathanson and Spielberg have developed a pretty solid working relationship of late, with the former working on the scripts for The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can and Indy IV (which was attributed solely to David Koepp, but Nathanson was credited with the story, along with George Lucas). Scholastic Media prexy Deborah Forte is producing. DreamWorks co-chair and CEO Stacey Snider praised Nathanson's "great sense of adventure touched with humor and suspense." She added that he provides "just the right recipe for our family film." Nathanson's credits also include the screenplays for "Rush Hour 2" and "Rush Hour 3"; "The Last Shot" which he also directed; and "New York, I Love You," which is scheduled for release next year.