Nicole Kidman in the action-thriller "The Peacemaker" (1997) as White House nuclear expert Dr. Julia Kelly, opposite George Clooney. The film grossed $110,000,000 worldwide. In 1998, she co-starred with Sandra Bullock in the poorly received fantasy "Practical Magic" as a modern-day witch. Kidman returned to her work on stage the same year in the David Hare play "The Blue Room", which opened in London. In 1999, Kidman reunited with then husband, Tom Cruise, to portray a married couple in "Eyes Wide Shut", the final film of director Stanley Kubrick. The film was subject to censorship controversies due to the explicit nature of
Stanley Kubrick downplayed – a perception Kubrick evidently did little to address. Kubrick found that "Dr. Strangelove", a $2 million production which employed what became the "first important visual effects crew in the world", would be impossible to make in the U.S. for various technical and political reasons, forcing him to move production to England. It was shot in 15 weeks, ending in April 1963, after which Kubrick spent eight months editing it. Peter Sellers again agreed to work with Kubrick, and ended up playing three different roles in the film. Upon release, the film stirred up much controversy and mixed opinions.