Steven Spielberg wants to direct TV: 'I would've directed Mare of Easttown'

Steven Spielberg wants to direct TV – and has revealed which of his movies he almost turned into an HBO show.

"I do have an appetite for longform, and someday, I will direct a longform series," the legendary director, who has only helmed films up until this point, told the Smartless podcast (H/T The Playlist). "I mean, if someone would have brought me Mare of Easttown, I would have done that. That was a beautifully directed story."

Mare of Easttown, starring Kate Winslet as a murder detective in Philadelphia, was a strong critical success for HBO – though a follow-up of the limited series looks unlikely.

"I was willing to do Lincoln as a six-hour [show] because I couldn't raise all the financing for it. No one believed in it… I went around town and everyone turned me down," Spielberg explained.

He continued, "I was ready to make a deal with HBO to do it and expand it to six hours… I had the material. I don't know if I could have talked Daniel Day-Lewis into doing six hours, but I was on the brink of that."

The director may not want to leave Hollywood behind just yet, however. Spielberg's latest release The Fabelmans is getting some serious awards buzz and picked up the award for Drama Motion Picture at this year's Golden Globes.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.