Spielberg Adopts Shia LaBeouf

Posted by Maggie Van Ostrand (maggie@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 15, 2007 Share

Not since he did the same thing with Harrison Ford has Steven Spielberg treated any actor as his own son. Until now. Beginning with the role of Indiana Jones’ son in DreamWorks’ production Indiana Jones 4, 21-year-old Shia LaBeouf is being cast in every other movie Spielberg has a piece of. Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg own DreamWorks.

Spielberg will exec produce Indy 4, as he did Disturbia ($80 million) and Transformers ($303 million). LaBeouf is not yet officially attached to Tranny 2, but he looks good to go. Although he only earned $500,000 for his former acting jobs (Awww, that’s dweadful), the new salary deals will put LaBeouf in the top class of money earners.

LaBeouf will also star in Eagle Eye with Rosario (Tarantino’s Death Proof) Dawson and Michelle (MI3) Monaghan, with D.J. (Disturbia) Caruso signed to direct.

Spielberg’s original idea of a man and his mom being framed as terrorists was turned into the Eagle Eye script. “Forced to become members of a cell that has plans to carry out a political assassination, they must work together to extricate themselves.” Holy Jack Bauer!

While John Ford used the same repertory players in nearly all his pictures, Spielberg doesn’t exactly have that many favorites. But he did make three pictures each with the two Toms: Hanks and Cruise, in addition to “adopting” Harrison and Shia.

Source: Hollywood Today

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