Steven Spielberg may have been snubbed by the Academy Awards this week for Best Director, but that isn’t stopping him from climbing back up the mountain. According to Deadline, the two-time Oscar winner is closing in on a deal with Warner Bros. to direct “Gods And Kings,” which is described as a “‘Braveheart’-ish version of the Moses story” mixed with the “gritty reality” of “Saving Private Ryan.”

Warner Bros. has been courting Spielberg for the project since last September, and now it appears they are close to nabbing him. That in itself is an accomplishment: the notoriously busy Spielberg always has a full dance card, but will have time for “Gods And Kings” next spring. The director just finished “Lincoln” and will soon start on “Robopocalypse”; “Gods And Kings” would hope to begin lensing in March or April 2013.

“Kings” is just one of many projects focusing on B.C. figures: Darren Aronofsky is working on his Noah’s Ark film, while Mel Gibson has been planning his own biblical-times epic about Judah Maccabee. That film would also set up at Warner Bros., should it ever get off the ground.

What this means for “Indiana Jones 5″ remains to be seen, but if Spielberg does sign on for “Gods And Kings,” it would likely push any further Indy adventure into 2014 at the earliest.

[via Deadline]