DreamWorks 'in a frenzy' over prospective sci-fi film

Steven Spielberg is considering a directorial role on 'Robopocalypse'.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker is lining up the project - based on a forthcoming novel by Daniel H. Wilson - which has been optioned by DreamWorks, with reports the studio is "in a frenzy" about the potential of the movie.

A source told Vulture blog: "With DreamWorks, everything is potentially a Steven project - until it's not. That's why everyone's in a frenzy trying to read it."

The project was optioned by the studio back in November 2009, and is believed to be a realistic portrayal of a possible robot uprising.

It is one of a number of robot-related projects being created by DreamWorks - 'Transformers 3' is due to be released earlier next year, while 'Reel Steel', a movie about robot boxing, is due to hit cinemas in November 2011.

Steven is currently filming 'War Horse' - the tale of a boy who goes to the battlefields of World War I to find his beloved horse - and is attached to work on sci-fi movie 'Interstellar' in 2012.