The Ring 2: According to Variety, Japanese director, Hideo Nakata, the man behind the original "Ringu," upon which the 2002 horror pic "The Ring," was based, is in negotiations to helm The Ring 2 for DreamWorks.

Nakata will replace director Noam Murro, who dropped from the project earlier this week.

The Ring 2 will mark Nakata's American directorial debut now that he is no longer directing "True Believers" at MGM.

In addition to "Ringu," Nakata also directed that film's sequel, released in Japan in 1999, a year after the first pic.

Although the first American "Ring" was a remake of the Japanese film, the "Ring 2" script, written by Ehren Kruger, will depart from "Ringu 2."

Naomi Watts, who headlined the first "Ring," is said to be aboard The Ring 2. The studio is currently out to male leads.