The content of Warner Books' tie-in to Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (Book News, June 14) continues to change. Not long ago, a 16-page photo insert for the August release, a rare combination of screenplay and original source material (in this case, Arthur Schnitzler's novella Dream Story), was dropped because of objections from star Tom Cruise about publishing the images before the film's international release in September (the film will make its debut here July 16.)
But now Cruise has had a change of mind, and Warner will include the insert. In addition, Penguin U.K., which had decided to wait to issue the book with pictures in September, also has leeway to publish earlier.
Another feature originally planned for the book has been dropped. Frederic Raphael, who officially shares screenplay credit with Kubrick on the film, will not write a new introduction to Schnitzler's novella. Apparently Raphael's not-so-reverential article about working for Kubrick in a recent issue of the New Yorker ruffled some key feathers. That article was excerpted from Raphael's memoir, Eyes Wide Open, to be released as an original trade paperback by Ballantine this week.
