The only sequel Stanley Kubrick considered making: “I would have loved to”
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most legendary directors of all time, with the auteur redefining the landscape of cinema through his innovative visual techniques and constantly evolving narrative style. Throughout the course of his career, the director chopped and changed between an impressive number of genres, from science fiction to horror and period dramas, showcasing the vitality of his creative spirit and endless knack for reinvention.
Whether it be the pioneering genius of The Shining, the devastating moral tale at the core of Barry Lyndon or the groundbreaking visual achievements of 2001: A Space Odyssey, there is perhaps no one more globally renowned and influential than Kubrick.
However, his filmmaking career was cut short after his untimely death, which came soon after the release of Eyes Wide Shut, which many consider to be his magnum opus. Due to this, there was much speculation about what the director would have achieved next had he been alive, with one close collaborator and friend revealing that he was considering a sequel to one of his earlier works.
Kubrick has lent his talents to many different stories over the years, often with a socio-political undertone or moral message that highlights the main characters’ flaws as a result of societal failings. From the extreme violence in A Clockwork Orange to the prediction about the rise of artificial intelligence in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the director had his finger on the cultural pulse, creating films that only grew in relevance and meaning.
His 1964 film Dr Strangelove is no exception to this rule, with the story following General Jack D Ripper after initiating a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union and a room full of politicians and generals who frantically try to stop it. It has a satirical undertone that pokes fun at the incompetency of our world leaders and the disorganised chaos of war, but more than anything reveals Kubrick’s surprising comedic power and ability to create humour out of the most high-stakes situations.
While the director was often more fascinated by creating one-off masterpieces and solo stories, Dr Strangelove is the only film he considered making a sequel for, which he proposed to be directed by Terry Gilliam. When asked about this, Gilliam said, “I was told after Kubrick died – by someone who had been dealing with him – that he had been interested in trying to do another Strangelove with me directing. I never knew about that until after he died, but I would have loved to”.
A script was partially completed before Kubrick’s death, with the director keen for Gilliam to helm the project, perhaps due to his experience in multiple forms of comedy, ranging from Monty Python and The Fisher King to Jabberwocky and Time Bandits.
The film was due to be titled Son of Strangelove, and while it never went beyond Kubrick discussing Gilliam as the ideal candidate to honour his legacy behind closed doors, we can only imagine what kind of ideas the auteur had for what would have been his only sequel.
