Steven Spielberg has said that his idea for the film involved American pilots who came to Israel after WW II and trained Israeli pilots.The Israeli film world is abuzz with speculation regarding a new movie to be produced and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg, that may be filmed in Israel over the summer.

Word of the project leaked to the local media and was published in the Hebrew daily Ma’ariv, that an agent representing actors was notified that Spielberg was interested in seeing tapes and resumes of Israeli Jewish and Arab performers with extensive training and experience in film and television.

The agent, Rodica Alkalay was careful not to reveal many details regarding the project, which is being kept under a veil of secrecy. Equally silent is the Zvi Spielman of the Israfilm company which is coordinating the Spielberg project. Spielman has extensive experience with foreign co-productions, and was responsible for arranging the production of the scenes shot in Israel for the Spielberg film Schindler’s List.

Spielberg has spoken to the Israeli in the past regarding of an idea for a film that focused on the origins of the Israeli Air Force. In an interview with Ma’ariv in 1998, Spielberg said that his idea involved the American pilots who came to Israel after WW II and trained Israeli pilots. He said in that interview that the source of his idea was a meeting he had with an El Al pilot who invited him to sit with him in the cockpit when he flew from New York to Tel Aviv.

“I asked him about his life and I was told that he was a hero of the Six Day war when he served in the Air Force and he told me about the Air Force and how it all began,” Spielberg said at the time.

However, in another Ma’ariv interview, which took place a month and a half ago, Spielberg said that an Israeli air force movie was not likely to go into production soon.

“We have the third draft of the script, but it is still impossible to begin to realize it, since the draft is still not completed sufficiently. We will continue to work on it, till I get a script that I am satisfied with, then I’ll send it to (former president of Israel and Air Force veteran) Ezer Weizmann so he can give me his opinion.”