Last we heard, the thriller project UNSTOPPABLE didn’t take off because of budget problem, which was understandable because after the recent The Taking of Pelham 123 remake only earned $60 Million domestically, any studio would be hesitant to fund the next collaboration of Scott-Washington. So according to Variety, after 3 months of uncertainty, the 2 time Oscar winner, one of the most celebrated, respected, admired actors of our time has exited UNSTOPPABLE.
UNSTOPPABLE for 20th Century Fox, would’ve reunited Denzel Washington with his favorite director Tony Scott, marking the 5th time that they’ve done films together (Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, Taking of Pelham 123).
With a script by Mark Bomback, Washington would play an experienced engineer who jumps in a locomotive with a young conductor (Chris Pine) to chase down a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals and gas enough to wipe out a nearby city.
So here’s what led to this halt… “Fox cut a $107 million tab down to $100 million, but wants it in the low $90 million range. Fox asked Scott to drop his fee from $9 million to $6 million, and wanted Washington to shave $4 million from his $20 million paycheck. Washington declined”
I’m a bit shocked that Washington wasn’t willing to sacrifice $4 Million. I always thought he was an actor that’s about the work, not the money, maybe I thought wrong. Does he really need $20 Million?
There might be hope though, because the report also says that Fox is still willing to make a different offer to get Washington to re-consider his decision and Washington is willing to take a look at the latest script draft.
I think Washington needs to distance himself from Scott for a while. When was the last time he did any independent Sundance gigs anyway?
