Film director Brett Ratner will no longer handle the directing part of the new 'Conan' movie due to scheduling issues, the project's producer Joe Gatta revealed.
- May 8, 2009
AceShowbiz -
Brett Ratner, the director of "X-Men: The Last Stand", has apparently fallen off the director seat of "Conan". Discussing the matter with Empire magazine was producer Joe Gatta, who claimed that scheduling conflicts have forced filmmakers to look for another director to do Ratner's job for the project.
"We're currently in the process of hiring a director," Gatta confessed. "For the past six months we were discussing the movie with Brett Ratner, and for more timing issues than anything else we had to part ways with Brett. We all wanted him to do it, believe me; just the timing didn't work. But you never know what can happen."
Beside spilling the bean on Ratner's exit, the man who also serves as the producer of "Red Sonja", furthermore, shared that filmmakers have eyed to start production on August 24 and will make use of Bulgaria as the shooting location. He also noted that the search for the lead will be done as soon as they hire a director. "We'll have an open casting call: as soon as we hire our director the search is on," so he claimed.
"Conan" has been reported to be fast tracked since the studio producing it brought in Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain to rewrite the script. The action adventure film for Lionsgate Films is produced by Boaz Davidson, George Furla, Joe Gatta, Avi Lerner and Fredrik Malmberg. Gerard Butler was once linked as potential lead actor.
Brett Ratner has been known for his work behind the lens of such films as "After the Sunset", "Red Dragon" and the "Rush Hour". Also credited for directing several music videos, he has been set to helm "Beverly Hills Cop IV". Earlier, he insisted that he is close to go into production on action crime comedy "Trump Heist".
