Denzel Out of ‘Unstoppable’

In a bit of news that surprises no one, Denzel Washington has stepped away from ‘Unstoppable,’ deciding not to wait around for 20th Century Fox to decide on a new start date on production.   It was announced a few weeks ago that Fox was reconsidering the film due to budget concerns and the poor performance of ‘The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.’   ‘Unstoppable’ would have been the fifth collaboration between Washington and director Tony Scott.Instead of waiting for Fox to make up their minds about the project, Washington decided to look for more projects to begin work on in the fall.   After Washington and his reps made the announcement, Fox decided to come back at the Oscar winner with a different offer.

The film’s previous budget of $107 million had already been cut down to $100 million.   Fox wanted it at $90 million, and their suggestions that Scott cut his salary from $9 million to $6 million and Washington to drop his price from $20 million to $16 million were denied by the actor and the director.   This also comes at a time when ‘The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3’ has raked in just over $60 million against a$100-million budget.

There is no word yet on whether Scott will continue with the project.   The film’s other star, Chris Pine, is still attached.

Source: Variety