Steven Spielberg Mediated Eastwood/Lee Feud 9/8/08

Steven Spielberg acted as peacemaker between feuding filmmakers Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee, helping the pair end their bitter war of words.

Lee slammed Eastwood in May (08) for failing to include black characters in his two 2006 World War II movies Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.

The veteran star struck back, telling Lee to "shut his mouth", prompting Lee to take a second swipe, calling Eastwood "an angry old man."

But Spielberg stepped in to handle the mediations - and now the Malcolm X filmmaker insists the conflict is settled.

He says, "That thing with Clint was overblown, and that stuff was squashed. We're cool...

"We never talked, but I talked to Spielberg, and Spielberg talked to him."

And Lee jokes he is even planning to send his new war movie Miracle at St. Anna, about black World War II soldiers, to Eastwood for private viewing: "He has his own screening room, we'll send him a print."