Steven Spielberg, who hasn't directed a movie since the 2012 drama Lincoln, has finally decided on his next two projects, with DreamWorks Pictures issuing release dates for the Untitled Cold War Thriller (October 16, 2015) and The BFG (July 1, 2016).

We first reported on the Untitled Cold War Thriller back in April, when Tom Hanks signed on to star. This adaptation of a true story centers on an American lawyer named James Donovan (Tom Hanks), who is recruited by the CIA to negotiate for the release of pilot Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over Russia in 1960. Mark Rylance has also signed on to play an unspecified character. Our report from April indicated that Steven Spielberg had not officially signed on to direct at that time, but now he has been confirmed. The Untitled Cold War Thriller will go up against Warner Bros.' Crimson Peak on October 16, 2015.

Just days following the report on Steven Spielberg possibly directing the Untitled Cold War Thriller, we reported that the filmmaker is boarding The BFG, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel. The story centers on a young girl named Sophie, who spots a loveable, dream-hunting giant through the window of her orphanage. The director will reunite with his E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial screenwriter Melissa Mathison, who is writing the adaptation. The BFG has plenty of competition in its new release date, going up against Angry Birds, Independence Day 2, and Tarzan on July 1, 2016.

After pulling out of American Sniper last year, Steven Spielberg became attached to these two projects, plus the religious drama entitled The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, a project which reunites him with Lincoln and Munich screenwriter Tony Kushner. He is also attached to 20th Century Fox's Montezuma, which follows the the Spanish conquistador's battles with Aztec leader Herman Cortes.