Deadline is reporting that Albert Hughes’ revenge drama Motor City, set to star Gerard Butler, has been halted. Co-starring Mickey Rourke and Adrien Brody, the film was undergoing pre-production when the crew was told to go home.
Set to start shooting in three weeks, the reason for shutting down production wasn’t due to money, despite what you may think. Apparently, it was a timing issue as the March 31st release date was too soon and the quality of the film would have been compromised had they stuck with that date. Realizing this, the film couldn’t receive a bond to move forward.
Check out what an insider told Deadline:
“Faced with the realities of a very short post-production schedule and complicated visual and special effects, the producers have decided to push back production on Albert Hughes’ Motor City. We are dedicated to delivering top-tier productions such as 2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg which is currently in production and Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor which is in pre-production. The circumstances surrounding this project made it impossible to meet the firm March 31st delivery date without compromising the quality of the film.”
The film is still going to be made, but it’s uncertain whether or not Warner Bros. will still be behind it when it gets back up off the ground. For now, the producers just have to work out scheduling issues with the cast and crew as well as distribution deals.
Personally, I think Motor City is plagued. The film has had a very tough time coming together. For one, many actors have been attached to the project at one point or another, only to drop out shortly after.
Gerard Butler, for one, was the last in a long list of actors who were set for the male lead. Jake Gyllenhaal, Dominic Cooper and Jeremy Renner were all attached before him.
That being said, the film does look interesting and I enjoyed what Hughes did with The Book of Eli, so I’m excited to see what he can do with this revenge tale. Hopefully everything works out and the film gets going shortly.
As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.