Whoa, here’s a full-blown fracas and perhaps proof that even with Brad Pitt, not ever project is indestructible to the forces of Hollywood in these uncertain times.
Sony has pulled the plug on Steven Soderbergh’s baseball film, “Moneyball,” three days before it was going to shoot in New Mexico over script disputes and changes made from Academy Award-winner Steven Zaillian’s version.
Columbia/Sony’s Amy Pascal has already thrown the picture into “limited turnaround” which gives Soderbergh the chance to set up the picture elsewhere. Apparently Warner Bros. & Paramount are key targets, but considering what Paramount just went through, would they take on a project this risky?
Zaillian’s final draft (he wrote ” Schindler’s List”), apparently just came across Pascal’s desk this week and evidently deviated enough from the version she greenlit that she pulled the breaks on it immediately, apparently not happy with the changes Soderbergh had envisioned.
We’re not totally surprised, if only because it was an unconventional and gutsy little project with a $50 million dollar budget (actually $57 million). No romance, no inherent villains, not a wide sell on this one. It would have been a pretty odd major studio film, especially in these times. Apparently both Pitt and Soderbergh’s reps spent the weekend trying to get other studios interested and onboard.
Options are on the table for Columbia and apparently one of them is replacing Soderbergh. “If Soderbergh can’t get the movie financed–which includes coming up with considerable sums already charged against the movie, including Zaillian’s scripts and production costs; the movie was slated to shoot Monday–it will return to Sony, who will get another director,” writes Anne Thompson (the money already against it feels like the death of the project to us, frankly, at least where Soderbergh is concerned). Will Brad Pitt walk though if his “Ocean’s” director is pulled from the starting line-up?
Another option is delaying the project until Soderbergh and the studio exec see eye to eye. They could just pull the plug all together, although there’s already been three months of prep time on camera tests and whatnot.
Soderbergh’s plate is really full and it always felt like he took this project because he had to delay the musical, “Cleo,” and needed to do something in the interim, so if this situation doesn’t get fixed quick, we won’t be surprised if Soderbergh just abandons it and moves on to the next gig which at this point is probably just waiting for Michael Douglas to be free for “Liberace,” and the script to finally be in place (and or funding for what could again be a fairly, risky and uncommercial project). [Variety]
BTW, does anyone else feel that this is a story that Variety pounced on because they knew if they waited til Monday, Nikki Finke would have broken it an hour later?
This is beyond fascinating. Moneyball is a really terrific book but, at first glance, it's a property that doesn't necessarily lend itself to narrative cinematic adaptation. Given the surely unorthodox and studious take on Billy Beane and Co. that Soderbergh, Zaillian & Pitt were apt to deliver, its a real shame the studio is balking (pun mostly not intended). Making Bill James worshiping metrics wonks/baseball nerds into compelling dramatic figures within the context of a studio film seems like a nearly impossible task, but one that Soderbergh clearly sees as an opportunity to further rupture conventional forms.
It was bound to fail. Way too risky, but yeah, reading the original script now and wishing they woulda made this. My guess is we never see this thing and it's passed on. Hollywood is fickle, Sony is sending a loud and clear message: we will not spend that kinda money on unsure things if they're not up to speed, Brad Pitt and Oscar-winner Soderbergh be damned.
Funny to read this story. I went to an afternoon showing of "Moon" in Hollywood just yesterday, and Soderbergh was in my row with David Fincher and their wives. He seemed pretty spirited (though that could be just because it stood in contrast to the measured posture of good ol' Fincher).