Distribution

A.I. will be distributed throughout the USA by Warner Brothers, whilst the international distribution will be picked up by Dreamworks. This follows in the tradition of numerous Dreamworks initiated pictures that have been jointed funded with other studios.

Production Companies

Both Warner Brothers and Dreamworks will produce A.I. in cooperation with Stanley Kubrick Productions. Stanley Kubrick's estate own the rights to A.I. since it was a project which the late director was keen to complete.

Computer Generated FX

Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) which is responsible for the Star Wars movies and Jurassic Park will produce the extensive computer generated fx that will be needed to bring Kubrick's vision to the screen. ILM are perhaps the biggest FX house in the movie industry and their credits include over 172 films.

The Sets

 Inside soundstage 16 at WB studios in Los Angeles, a large cylindrical building is being constructed in such a way that it is submerged beneath the floor of the soundstage, presumably for later flooding in line with A.I.'s storyline. It is believed that this building is the house in which Haley Joel Osment's robot character lives with his adopted family.

 At the old dome which used to house the Spruce Goose at Long Beach an arena type set has been constructed with a simulated forest close-by. A call was put out for some 700 extras to sit in the arena which is illuminated by some 450 lights on 4 lighting towers. Visit the scene description section for more information about the scene this set is believed to feature in.

History of the Project

The concept for the film A.I. was originally developed by the late Stanley Kubrick two decades ago. Plans for shooting the film were delayed because of the technology that bringing the script to the screen would involve. A.I. was to be Kubrick's next movie following Eyes Wide Shut, however the death of the legendary director left the future of this project in doubt.

In March 2000, Steven Spielberg, a close friend of Kubrick, announced that he would direct A.I., bringing Kubrick's original vision to life along with some of his own elements. Kubrick's son-in-law, Jan Harlan, who had worked as an executive producer on many of Kubrick's projects including Eyes Wide Shut will be the executive producer of A.I.

Kubrick had purchased the rights to the story A.I. in 1982 and had developed several storyboards and a long treatment of the plot. In the last year before his death it is believed that Kubrick commissioned Industrial Light and Magic to conduct some special fx tests.

A.I. will represent the first screenplay Spielberg has authored since Close Encounters of the Third Kind, although he has lent a helping hand in many of his big movies since then.

Click Here for an indepth article about the history of this project, from Kubrick's original idea to what we can expect from Spielberg's translation.

Budget

Warner Brothers and Dreamworks are joint funding this immense project which has a starting budget of close to $100 million.

Release Dates