Columbia Pictures cancels Soderbergh’s Moneyball

Posted on June 22, 2009
Filed Under Actors, Directors, News

Sometimes things move fast in Hollywood. Actors and directors gets involved and just like that they disappear and get replaced. Sometimes whole movies disappear from the production schedule. Variety reports that “Moneyball,” the Steven Soderbergh-directed Brad Pitt project that was supposed to begin production today(!), has been scrapped.

The move came after Amy Pascal (Columbia Pictures) read a rewrite that Soderbergh did to Steven Zaillian’s script and found it very different from the earlier scripts she championed. Pascal was uncomfortable enough with how the vision had changed that she applied the brakes. The turnaround on “Moneyball” is surprising given that the project had reached the equivalent of third base. It was just 96 hours before the participants were ready to take the field, following three months of prep and with camera tests completed and cast and budget in place.

Soderbergh and Pitt’s CAA reps spent the weekend attempting to get another studio to play ball.

If a new financier doesn’t emerge by today, Columbia will re-examine options that include replacing Soderbergh (and hoping Pitt doesn’t ankle), delaying the film until Pascal and the filmmaker find themselves in sync on the script or pulling the plug.

Columbia’s move to scrap a Pitt pic is ironic. Pitt dropped out of “State of Play” just before that picture was to begin production, when he read the studio-approved shooting script that veered too far from the draft that prompted him to sign on. It is unusual to see a studio step off a film to which a superstar like Pitt is firmly committed.

This almost smells like… childish revenge?

“Moneyball” is based on the bestselling Michael Lewis book about Billy Beane (Pitt), the former player who resurfaced as the Oakland A’s general manager and found success fielding competitive teams for low cost.

To be continued…

Comments