One of the screenplays inducted onto this year’s Black List (check out the complete list here) is by self-described “newbie” Stephany Folsom, and is intriguingly titled, 1969: A Space Odyssey or How Kubrick Learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon (an obvious reference to both the title of Stanley Kubrick’s classic black-comedy satire from 1964, and to the director’s 2001: A Space Odyssey from 1968).
Folsom’s 108-page script (a drama) focuses on “Barbara,” a lone wolf working in the publicity department at NASA’s office in Washington, DC, in 1969. The story is an alternate history of how, as the Cold War rages, Barbara reaches out to and convinces acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick to work with NASA to fake the moon landing and one-up the Soviets.
“Hijinks ensue,” Folsom says.
The film is partly inspired by the famous conspiracy theory that Kubrick was recruited by the US government to direct a fake moon landing. “I’m a big conspiracy fan,” Folsom tells Mother Jones. “Now, I don’t necessarily believe in conspiracy theories—but I liked the idea.”
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