Initial Entertainment Group has pulled out of financing "The Good Shepherd," a thriller set to star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro which the latter was planning to direct according to Variety.
Universal Pictures was to distribute the project, described as a history of the CIA as seen through the eyes of career agent James Wilson, and pre-production was proceeding apace with the film tipped to be the next project of both actors.
The studio says it remains committed to the project, but production won't go forward unless another financier can be found to cover the $110+ million production budget.
This isn't the first stumbling block the film has encountered, the project was initially being developed at MGM before changing studios. DeNiro is also the third director attached to the project with the likes of Philip Kaufman and the late John Frankenheimer also developing it.
IEG's withdrawal though was amicable, the company's head Graham King saying "It's one of the best scripts I've ever read (but) you can't make the movie for any less than we have it budgeted for. I certainly wouldn't disrespect Bob by getting him to cut the budget of the film".
Thanks to 'Baaaa!'.
