If Sony’s The Rosie Project hit a speed bump yesterday when Jennifer Lawrence departed the project, then the romantic drama is careering straight into troubled waters now that The Hollywood Reporter has revealed director Richard Linklater has followed his former leading lady through the exit door.
Confirmation is only beginning to seep through today, with sources close to Tri-Star’s now-troubled production claiming that both parties bowed out of the film on Monday. In Lawrence’s case, representatives for the actress cite scheduling conflicts as the primary reason, considering that the Oscar-winner is currently shooting Passengers alongside Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt. Couple this with the all-too-brief gap between the starry sci-fi and X-Men: Apocalypse and it’s clear that a much-needed break also filtered into the official decision.
That’s largely because, prior to this week’s devastating one-two punch, Tri-Star had planned to get the wheels in motion on The Rosie Project during the winter. Perhaps the most disappointing takeaway from Lawrence’s departure, though, is the fact that the role of Rosie Jarman had her name written all over it, in a manner of speaking. Lifted from Graeme Simsion’s eponymous romantic novel, the story follows a brilliant but socially awkward genetics professor who dreams up a scientifically sound algorithm to locate and find the perfect life partner. Rosie Jarman, however, is anything but.
Sporting a tenacious, devil-may-care attitude, the character effectively upended the researcher’s work by exhibiting the exact opposite personality that he had hoped. Even from the description alone, it’s clear why the studio was so keen on securing Lawrence. Alas, her departure has meant that Linklater, who originally boarded the production for a chance to collaborate with the actress, follows suit out the exit door.
The Rosie Project will now have its work cut out if it is to find a director and leading lady before the year’s end.