Development of A.I. originally began after producer and director Stanley Kubrick acquired the rights to Aldiss's story in the early 1970s. Kubrick hired a series of writers, including Aldiss, Bob Shaw, Ian Watson and Sara Maitland, until the mid-1990s. The film languished in development hell for years, partly because Kubrick felt that computer-generated imagery was not advanced enough to create the David character, which he believed no child actor would convincingly portray. In 1995, Kubrick handed A.I. to Spielberg, but the film did not gain momentum until Kubrick died in 1999. Spielberg remained close to Watson's treatment for the screenplay and dedicated the film to Kubrick.
Development of A.I. originally began after producer and director Stanley Kubrick acquired the rights to Aldiss's story in the early 1970s Kubrick hired a series of writers, including Aldiss, Bob Shaw Ian Watson and Sara Maitland, until the mid-1990s. The film languished in development hell for years, partly because Kubrick felt that computer-generated imagery was not advanced enough to create the David character, which he believed no child actor would convincingly portray. In 1995, Kubrick handed A.I. to Spielberg but the film did not gain momentum until Kubrick died in 1999. Spielberg remained close to Watson's treatment for the screenplay and dedicated the film to Kubrick.