Dave McNary, Alison James and Nick Vivarelli of Variety:
Director Roman Polanski (pictured) has pulled out of the $100 million "Pompeii," and preparations on the big-budget epic have been indefinitely halted, due to fears that the looming actors strike could derail the project, producer Robert Benmussa said Tuesday.
Benmussa, producer Alain Sarde and Summit Intl., which is repping worldwide sales, noted in a statement that production requires principal photography to take place during the summer in Europe, which could cause lensing to be delayed into the fall.
Current contracts for the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America both expire June 30.
Benmussa said: "Polanski has asked for his liberty, and we've given it to him."
If the union dispute is resolved between now and next February, Polanski could return, Benmussa said, but he added: "I've very little hope of that."
Polanski has not pulled out so that he could take on an alternative project. The director had been "working nonstop on the project for the past 18 months," Benmussa said.
The decision to put "Pompeii" on ice was taken "in the past 48 hours," the producer asserted. "We've been meeting agents and they've all said they can't commit beyond June 30, 2008 because of the strike. Unfortunately, we are scheduled to shoot in Southern Italy in August 2008."
The producer went on: "The weather is an actor in this film, because the catastrophe happened Aug. 26, during the sweltering heat of summer, when water supplies had run out. It is a part of the story."
Other southern settings for the five month shoot were considered but ruled out.
"This isn't a TV film where sand dunes in Morocco are made to pass for some other part of the world. It's a question of credibility," Benmussa said...
Benmussa, Sarde and Summit also said Tuesday that they remain committed to the project, based on Robert Harris novel set against the backdrop of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. They noted that they're exploring the option of developing the project with another filmmaker with a 2008 production start should a strike not occur.
"I don't know what we are going to do yet," Benmussa said. "If Polanski is no longer directing, we'll have to completely remount the project. Distributors will also have their liberty to pull out of the film."
He went on: "We still have the book rights, we still have a scenario and a very strong subject that people all over the world are interested in. This is a temporary problem that we have to resolve."
Pathe and RAI Cinema both confirmed Tuesday that they were exiting the project...Regarding his decision, Polanski said, "I put a lot of work and energy into the development of 'Pompeii' so it is not without regret that I have to decline my further involvement."
Although, the film may still get made---Count Pompeii as the first casualty of the industry strike. Despite the fact that the strike could be averted--the film has lost so much money already--finding someone to take over would be difficult
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