A recent trend exhibited by studios producing TV shows is to search popular movies for inspiration and make shows that are either direct sequels to a movie or its spiritual successors. While many such shows fail to be popular with its source material, such as the Rush Hour show that recently got cancelled after its first season, other shows like Limitless continue to thrive, indicating that shows based on movies could work, if done the right way. However, if certain reports are to be believed, viewers might be in for a treat from a show that more or less belongs to this category.
Stanley Kubrick
Rumors suggest that Stanley Kubrick’s dream project, Napoleon, may be headed to the mini-screen as a limited series. Napoleon never got made due to budget concerns between Kubrick and the studios he approached. The movie, as the title indicates, is based on the life of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who ruled the French from 1804 to 1815. Kubrick had envisioned Napoleon as a biographical movie of epic scales. He did a massive amount of research on Napoleon’s life to prepare for the movie and had a screenplay ready by 1961. However, the project never went forward after that due to the large amount of finance its production would have required. The script was later made available online.
Recently, there have been talks about the screenplay being adapted by Cary Fukunaga as a six-hour miniseries for HBO. At the Stanley Kubrick retrospective that was held at De Montfort University in Leicester, England, Kubrick’s brother-in-law and executive producer, Jan Harlan, who has worked in movies like The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut, revealed to the author of “Stanley Kubrick and Me”, FilippoUlivieri, about Fukunaga’s involvement in the project.
Ulivieri later posted about this on his Tumblr page where he mentioned about David Leland’s involvement in the recent script. Napoleon was once eyed by Steven Spielberg and Baz Luhrmann to be turned into a TV series, back in 2013.
Cary Fukunaga
Cary Fukunaga has already made a reputation for himself through his previous movies and television projects. Fukunaga was the director of the first season of HBO’s True Detective, which was instantly hailed as a classic by critics and viewers alike and went on to win several awards and accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Direction.
Furthermore, his detachment from the show as a director reflected poorly in its second season. Cary Fukunaga has also directed movies such as Sin Nombre, Jane Eyre, and quite recently, Beasts of No Nation starring Idris Elba. Suffice to say, Napoleon will be safe in Cary Fukunaga’s hands with HBO’s production since the network has already proved its capability of making a medieval epic through Game of Thrones.
During his lifetime, Stanley Kubrick has directed several movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and the like which are still considered classics by critics and the director’s fans. If the rumors turn out to be true and Napoleon does end up getting made at HBO, the show could perhaps become yet another mini-screen classic adding another golden feather to HBO’s hat and continue Stanley Kubrick’s legacy.
Tags: Director Cary Fukunaga HBO Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon
