Washington: Famed director Steven Spielberg is helping President Barack Obama develop a “narrative” for his post-White House life.
Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park director Spielberg, writes The New York Times, is among the high-profile individuals Obama is consulting to plot his life after he finishes his second term as president.
In a story over the weekend, the Times said that Obama met most recently with Spielberg in June, at a Beverly Hills hotel dinner. The two also met the week after Obama’s re-election in 2012, and Spielberg held the president “spellbound,” according to the Times, when speaking about the use of technology to tell stories.
There’s no suggestion in the story that the award-winning director will cast Obama in a movie. But Spielberg did make this spoof video for the 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner:
The Times writes Obama, his wife Michelle and top aides are mapping out a post-presidential endowment and infrastructure they estimate could cost as much as $1 billion.
The sum would be used for what one adviser called a “digital first” presidential library, and to establish a foundation with a world-wide reach. The amount is double what former President George W. Bush raised for his library and various programs.
Besides Spielberg, other A-list names Obama has been sounding out about his future include LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, actress Eva Longoria and Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr. All three attended a recent White House dinner.
