Spielberg Walked Away From Harry Potter to Make A.I.

Steven Spielberg, who has been the driving force behind films like Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park over the last five decades, was set to direct Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone after the book series was sold to Warner Bros. In February 2000 he dropped out, saying, "My directorial interests are taking me in another direction," and Chris Columbus ultimately directed the film, which made over a billion dollars worldwide.

What pulled Spielberg away was the death of his friend Stanley Kubrick in March 1999. Kubrick had been developing a film based on Brian Aldiss' short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," and after attending Kubrick's funeral Spielberg says Christiane and Jan Harlan approached him about taking over: "There was no script and after his death, then I was at the funeral...

Christiane and Jan Harlan approached me about taking over from Stanley and, as Stanley intended, directing the movie." Spielberg wrote the script and released the film as A.I.

steven spielberg, harry potter, sorcerer's stone, warner bros, chris columbus, a.i, stanley kubrick, brian aldiss, supertoys, christiane harlan