Here’s a revelation plucked straight out of a cinephile’s deepest fantasies: we might be getting a new Stanley Kubrick film.
Kubrick was highly renowned up until his death in 1999, his more notable films including A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining and Lolita.
As of recent, a film professor at Bangor University has discovered a completed and as-of-yet unproduced screenplay titled Burning Secret written by the legendary director back in 1956.
Based on a 1913 novella, Burning Secret follows a man on holiday in a spa resort who befriends a young boy in an attempt to seduce his mother. Hardcore fans have long known that Kubrick had been interested in adapting the book before his death, but this is the first we’re learning that a feature-length script exists.
Burning Secret may never see the light of day, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fantasize over which director could eventually take on the script. In the spirit of wild speculation, we put together a list of our favourite working directors that have what it takes to step into Kubrick’s shoes.
Ava DuVernay
Kubrick always flit easily between genres, from sci-fi to thriller to domestic dramas. After releases like the quiet drama Middle of Nowhere, the MLK biopic Selma, or the blockbuster A Wrinkle in Time, DuVernay has shown off her Kubrickian versatility.
Sofia Coppola
The story of a predatory man taking advantage of a child to get closer to a woman is not a story we need in 2018. But Sofia Coppola’s movies have always prioritized female perspectives, so she would know how to translate a movie like Burning Secret into the present day.
Reed Morano
Before she became an Emmy-winning director of shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, or her own feature films, Morano was a hotly sought after cinematographer. The intense attention to detail this job requires would make a well-known perfectionist like Kubrick proud.
Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler literally created a whole world in Black Panther, with its giant cast and globe-trotting story. Black Panther is a massive movie in every way, and if there’s anything Kubrick loved it was making a movie on a huge scale.
Taika Waititi
Before he dove into the superhero genre with Thor: Ragnarok, NZ-born Taika Waititi directed the vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows. Kubrick’s movies never shied away from comedy, something Waititi could easily pick up on.
Luca Guadagnino
If you watched A Bigger Splash or Call Me By Your Name, you’d know that Guadagnino excels at taboo romances set in sun-kissed locales. We wouldn’t expect Guadagnino to recreate a 2001-style epic, but Burning Secret has the scale and tone he excels at.
Duncan Jones
Tons of directors list Kubrick as one of their biggest influences, but Duncan Jones’ movie Moon is basically a 21st century update of 2001. Jones is clearly a student of Kubrick’s and would easily bring his beloved story to the screen.
Claire Denis
Claire Denis has directed some of the most critically acclaimed movies of the 21st century through an infamously meticulous editing process. If anyone would appreciate this technique, it would be Kubrick, a fellow stickler for details.
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Cover image via Instagram @stanleykubrick
