Overview
- Spielberg told Turner Classic Movies on Wednesday that he walked away from directing the first Harry Potter film to take over Stanley Kubrick’s long‑running A.I. project after Kubrick’s death.
- Kubrick had developed A.I. for decades, handed the project to Spielberg in 1995, and after Kubrick died in 1999 Christiane Kubrick and Jan Harlan asked Spielberg at Kubrick’s funeral to carry the film forward.
- Spielberg said he had already been involved in casting and pre-production for the Harry Potter adaptation before he relinquished the job.
- A.I. was released in 2001, starred Haley Joel Osment, and was dedicated to Kubrick, while the live‑action Harry Potter film was directed by Chris Columbus and opened a few months later.
- The June 10 coverage restates Spielberg’s recollection without new documentary evidence and frames the moment as a turning point that helped shape A.I.’s later critical reassessment and the very different commercial legacy of the Harry Potter franchise.