When Kubrick Met Spielberg

After nearly three decades of development, A.I. Artificial Intelligence finally had a theatrical release on 29th June, 2001. Written and directed by Steven Spielberg - following the death of his friend Stanley Kubrick - it promised to be a cinematic masterpiece. But many critics saw it as akin to a custody battle between two very different parents—Kubrick’s icy intellect clashing with Spielberg’s sentimental warmth. Kubrick first bought the rights to the short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long in 1983, envisioning a film about climate catastrophe, underwater Manhattan, and artificially intelligent robot children that would tug at your heartstrings—if only the tech could catch up. Spielberg stuck close to Kubrick’s original vision, especially the perfectly eerie first and third acts—but admitted the middle was “pieces of a dream.” In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca pore over the box office receipts this “mess” achieved; explain why ‘Jurassic Park’ played a pivotal role in the movie’s development; and reveal why Kubrick insisted on being told the layout of Spielberg’s Hollywood home… Further Reading: • ‘Artificial foolishness / "A.I.' starts out promising but ends up combining the worst of Kubrick, Spielberg’ (San Francisco Chronicle, 2001): https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Artificial-foolishness-A-I-starts-out-2905798.php • ‘From Kubrick to Spielberg: The Story of ‘A.I.’’ (The Ringer, 2021): https://www.theringer.com/2021/06/29/movies/ai-artificial-intelligence-steven-spielberg-stanley-kubrick • ‘Spielberg on Spielberg: Spielberg Explains Ending of A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ (TCM, 2007): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz7sPiOoU7A Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices