Gosh-darned runaway trains are getting too easy too stop these days…. Word has it that the planned Denzel Washington / Chris Pine thriller, Unstoppable, which Tony Scott was to direct, may not even leave the station due to budget issues. The pic centers on a train with toxic chemicals speeding out of
control. Word has it that neither of the main star’s deals, nor Scott’s deal, were set yet and the studio is starting to grimace at the prospect of funding a typically big-budget Tony Scott project after The Taking of Pelham 123 has only taken in $53 million so far. This comes on the heels of the Brad Pitt project, Moneyball, being shelved by Sony for the same reason.
Adding to Fox’s apprehensions is the price tag for the planned physical stunts in the action-heavy thriller. “A year ago, you could agree on a budget and then come back and
give them a higher bill and they’d pay it,” said a producer with a
deal at a studio. “It doesn’t work like that anymore.”
Fans of Denzel needn’t worry about seeing him on screen soon though. He still has the upcoming The Book of Eli, and a planned sequel to Inside Man due next year, as well as another half dozen projects in the works. Likewise, Pine will have the inevitable Star Trek sequel to fall back on and Hollywood and Orion Slave Girls will certainly be knocking on his door in the meantime.
via THR.com