Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Stanley Kubrick become the director of Spartacus?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick during the filming of Barry Lyndon (1975).
Stanley Kubrick became the director of the 1960 epic Spartacus after the film's star and producer, Kirk Douglas, fired the original director, Anthony Mann.
At the time, Kubrick had recently departed from the production of One-Eyed Jacks due to creative differences with Marlon Brando. Following this, he accepted Douglas's offer to take over the project. Although Spartacus achieved critical acclaim, it remained the film over which Kubrick had the least creative control during his career.1