King of Hollywood

Chapter 399: Chapter 121: Regardless of Them

“Citing an insider source, after Legendary Director Stanley Kubrick had a stroke, the new film adapted from Schnitzler’s novel ‘Dream Story,’ which was previously on hold, is now back on track with Miracle Director Adrian Cowell taking the helm. This is indeed a surprising piece of news. Everyone knows that Kubrick was a very unique director with extraordinary talent and a volatile temper. He didn’t produce many films, but each was thought-provoking and covered a wide range of topics—from the sci-fi movie ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ to the horror thriller ‘The Shining’ to the violence-promoting film ‘A Clockwork Orange’—still banned in the United Kingdom to this day, even though it was his own request, as the film did indeed spark some bad violent incidents in the UK at the time.

Kubrick was fully able to showcase his talent partly because he was able to do as he pleased in film production, always having full control on the set, no matter whether it was Jack Nicholson or (someone else) who had been scolded by him. It is said that the film rights to ‘Dream Story’ were purchased by him 30 years ago but only now has it gotten a chance to be put on screen, due to issues with film censorship, etc. However, Kubrick unfortunately fell ill and might not be able to stand again, and given his domineering and autocratic nature, this film would likely have been shelved rather than let someone else take over. Yet now it has been handed over to a young director, which inevitably leads to speculation.

Adrian Cowell is also a talented director who has worked on a variety of subjects. Since he started directing in 1990, he has become the youngest Oscar-winning director, an achievement not easily earned. Of course, his works, although good, still have quite a distance to go to match up to Kubrick’s; however, in terms of vision and film company, he far exceeds expectations. Adrian has indeed already taken over this film. Although Warner is the investor, they are unlikely to persuade Kubrick on such matters. Thus, there’s only one possibility: Kubrick recognized Cowell’s capabilities.

This conclusion will certainly surprise many, but as Sherlock Holmes has said, after excluding all possibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. No one knows how Kubrick made such a decision, just as this matter has only now come to light. Reporters from this newspaper have tried to interview Mr. Cowell on set. Although he declined to comment, he appeared to be very confident. Indeed, since Mr. Cowell has the title ‘Miracle Director’ and has indeed created many miracles, perhaps he does not consider taking over a Legendary Director’s work a difficult task.

So, what will the result be? It should be noted that ‘Dream Story’ is a famous erotic novel with astonishing descriptions, and Mr. Cowell seems to be venturing into this genre for the first time. Yet it’s believed that he will definitely give it his all, as the matter involves a comparison between two excellent directors. So let’s wait and see,”

— Los Angeles Times, Jeff Harris

Like many news stories, full of “informed sources” and conjecture, this one quickly piqued the interest of those journalists who had previously followed the news of Kubrick’s stroke and hospitalization. In truth, they too had already gleaned hints of these developments through various channels but could not compete with the geographical advantage of the Los Angeles Times. Since they were now outpaced, the subsequent reporting had to be different. Hence, journalists flocked to the parties from Warner’s side, Adrian’s side, the United Kingdom’s side, and Cruise’s side—where it was already confirmed before this that he and his wife would star in Kubrick’s new work.

Since there were prior agreements, all parties consistently declined to comment, which if neither confirmed nor denied, often suggests confirmation. The fact that Warner’s actions were especially telling led to the birth of various versions of the story. Some say that Kubrick decided to hand over the project after viewing Adrian’s work, others suggest that Warner approached Adrian to take over, and there is no narrative where Adrian himself volunteered to take on the task. Nevertheless, the most heated debate revolves around whether the Miracle Director can replace the Legendary Director to produce this work.

Soon enough, many critics joined the fray, with a well-known film critic stating that if the situation was indeed true, it was simply a farce. Both directors are extremely talented and have covered many topics, but Kubrick had his own unique style and ideology, whereas Adrian’s works leaned more toward commercialization and due to the age difference, it would be nearly impossible for Adrian to grasp Kubrick’s ideas.

“Perhaps Adrian thinks he can understand Stanley’s thoughts, but some things that may seem insignificant are, in fact, insurmountable gaps,” he wrote in his column.