Phil Joanou is hammering out a deal with DreamWorks to direct "Hammer Down," which begins production this summer.
The film will be a reunion of sorts for Joanou and Steven Spielberg, who discovered the tyro director in 1984, when Joanou was a student at USC.
Spielberg then brought Joanou to Amblin Entertainment, where he directed episodes of Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" series for NBC.
Of "Hammer Down," Joanou said, "Being back with Steven Spielberg is a dream come true."
Pic is about a disgraced NASCAR driver who becomes a wheel man in a heist in the belief that it will get him back on the track.
Barry Josephson and Michael Rotenberg are producing.
Mark Sourian is overseeing the film at DreamWorks.
Joanou's "Hammer Down" gig, among other pics, marks a return to the feature front for the helmer, who has most recently been working on music vids and commercials for the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola and T-Mobile.
On the film front he directed "State of Grace" starring Sean Penn and Ed Harris in 1990, and "Rattle and Hum," the documentary of Irish rock band U2, released in 1992.
Upcoming projects for the helmer include the thriller "A Walk Among the Tombstones," based on the novel by Lawrence Block, which Jersey Films is producing.
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