Over the last couple of years we've seen a number of high-profile projects cut loose by studios due to budgetary concerns. Akira, At the Mountains of Madness, and Paradise Lost are just a few, but you don't really expect that sort of thing to happen to a legendary director like Steven Spielberg. Right? This is the guy who is probably going to hear his name called a lot tomorrow when the Academy Award nominations are announced.
Well, turns out it could be happening to him, as THR reports that Robopocalypse, the long-gestating science fiction film he was to direct has been postponed indefinitely. Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway were already on board to star in the film which deals with a robot uprising created by an artificial intelligence with plans to destroy humanity. Based on the book by Daniel H. Wilson, production was set to begin soon for a 2014 release.
Spielberg's rep, Marvin Levy, says it was "too important and the script is not ready, and it's too expensive to produce. It's back to the drawing board to see what is possible." That script was by The Cabin in the Woods' Drew Goddard, so it's surprising to hear it may not have been up to snuff. To me it sounds like the price was simply too costly, and now Spielberg is going back to chop it down to a manageable size.
So what's next for Spielberg with a new opening in his schedule? His Biblical epic, Gods and Kings, could be moved up. Maybe he'll hook up with Christopher Nolan for Interstellar, since it was his project first? Or maybe he'll rethink directing Star Wars: Episode VII? And what about Hathaway and Hemsworth? Where do they go next?
