Peter Berg Talks Redford's 'Lambs,' Racing Epic 'Gone Like The Wind'

Reporting by Nha Nguyen

Tom Cruise is back in the game! His animated proclamation of love on Oprah's couch had everyone wondering whether he had lost his bachelorhood, or his mind. But who knew that Tom would soon take over United Artists? In hopes to show he's still got the skills to pay UA's bills, comes his first effort to be developed after the whole couch/underperforming "MI:3"/getting fired drama, entitled "Lions for Lambs." Fellow castmate Peter Berg recently gave us the scoop on the top-secret upcoming drama.

"It's set in Afghanistan, and [is] more about the politics that are going on behind the War on Terror. The same writer -- Matthew Carnahan -- [that] wrote 'Lions for Lambs' [also] wrote 'The Kingdom,'" he said of his soon-to-open directorial effort. "[In 'Lambs'] I play the head of the Special Forces, who sends a team into Afghanistan to try to do a mission - and it doesn't go very well."

The high-wattage cast includes names like Streep, but it was their legendary director and co-actor that has had the actor star-struck. "I was really amazed to be working with Robert Redford," Berg grinned. "Just to be on the set and to have him come around the corner and direct me! To walk right up to me and go, 'Pete, let's try this. Let's try that.'"

The star is working at a frenetic pace, wrapping his "Lambs" acting gig around directorial efforts like "The Kingdom," next year's "John Hancock," and the longtime passion-project "Gone Like the Wind."

"I've got the story," Berg beamed, revealing his progress on filming the tale of ill-fated champion racehorse Barbaro. "We've optioned the story from 'Vanity Fair' about the horse, and we're looking at [how to do] that."

Berg envisions the flick as a modern-day "Seabiscuit" and was saddened to report that he was unable to meet Barbaro in his final days. "I've just followed the story, and read about it; there's a wonderful story that Buzz Bissinger wrote in 'Vanity Fair' that I read."

The director further revealed that the film will conclude with the horse's passing this past January. "I think so," he said. "Yeah."