In April 1983, he was approached to work on a planned sequel to "Easy Rider" called "Biker Heaven". He had little to do with the script, but he was paid about $20,000, which was several times more than he had earned from the original. Around this time Stanley Kubrick requested some sample dialogue for a planned film adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's book "Traumnovelle" which was to star Steve Martin, but Southern's bawdy submissions reportedly sabotaged any prospect of further involvement; Kubrick eventually made the film (as "Eyes Wide Shut", with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) shortly before his death in 1999.