Kane & Lynch film director quits

In February 2007, Hollywood publication Variety reported that Eidos Interactive had sold the rights to Kane & Lynch: Dead Men to Vancouver-based studio Lionsgate, which would turn the game into a film about two inmates who break out of jail to pursue a bank heist. Now, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that production on the film has stopped because of French director Patrick Alessandrin's "falling off" the project.

According to the paper, the film was due to begin shooting next month, but since Alessandrin's departure, studio heads have struggled to come up with a replacement. While Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx are reportedly already on board for the title roles, Lionsgate is now trying out a number of directing hopefuls, including Wayne Kramer (Running Scared) and F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job). However, no deal has apparently been struck, pushing back the film's production start until next year. The official Lionsgate stance is that a director has not been chosen, and a start date is TBD.