Steven Spielberg (Reuters file photo)

Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg is turning his back on action movies, insisting he has no interest in directing another high-octane blockbuster.

Spielberg made a name for himself in Hollywood shooting big-budget sci-fi and adventure movies including Jaws and the Indiana Jones franchise, but he now wants to concentrate on other genres.

The director tells 60 Minutes he was drawn to his latest movie Lincoln, about U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, as it is a pared-down biopic without big action sequences or special effects.

In the TV interview, which aired on Sunday, he says, "I knew I could do the action in my sleep at this point in my career. In my life, the action doesn't hold any... it doesn't attract me anymore."

Spielberg also revealed he never expected his acclaimed 1993 drama Schindler's List to resonate with audiences, which is why he shot it in black and white.

He adds, "I did everything I needed to do to tell the story the way I thought the story should be told, to give it as much integrity as I could, never expecting it to make a dollar."

The Holocaust film went on to make more than $321 million at the global box office and landed seven Academy Awards.