Spielberg Speaks Out

Famed producer-director Steven Spielberg has rebutted speculation that he is to leave the DreamWorks movie studio he co-founded, stating that he will remain with the company indefinitely. In the statement given to the Los Angeles Times, Spielberg denied recently published reports and rife Hollywood rumours that he was disenchanted with DreamWorks. He declared his allegiance to the studio and his partners, music mogul David Geffen and studio executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. "The very idea that responsible publications ... have rumoured this fiction that I have grown weary of DreamWorks is false and damaging," he said. A DreamWorks spokeswoman declined to comment beyond the Times story. Only four-and-a-half years-old, DreamWorks stands to lose out in a big way if Spielberg does eventually break away. Scooping the Best Director Oscar last month for his wartime epic, Saving Private Ryan, he is unquestionably one of the most financially successful moviemakers of all-time, with blockbusters like Jurassic Park and E.T. under his belt. Speculation about the director's future with DreamWorks spouted up after the Oscars when after a hard-fought battle, the Best Film award went to rival Shakespeare in Love - a victory that is believed to have frustrated Spielberg. Executives at DreamWorks have firmly denied that there is any truth to the rumours surrounding Spielberg.