Crime drama Triple Frontier has slipped toward development limbo (again) after losing Channing Tatum and Tom Hardy, along with its home studio Paramount, according to Deadline. And just when you thought the dogged project had turned a corner.
Production was due to get underway next month with J.C. Chandor (All is Lost, A Most Violent Year) behind the lens, but Deadline claims that all was not well behind the scenes, leading to the studio ultimately dropping the project altogether. It’s a disheartening, largely anticlimactic end for Paramount’s involvement, particularly when you consider that Triple Frontier has a script from the Oscar-winning Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty, Detroit). Indeed, just after Tatum and Hardy came into contention, it was reported that Moonlight star Mahershala Ali and Adria Arjona had also signed on to star, though it’s unclear if the latter pair will remain on board now that the drama has been placed on ice.
Set in the notorious border zone between Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, Triple Frontier was pitched as a hard-hitting crime drama – hardly surprising, given it’s from the mind of Mark Boal. This isn’t the first time that the feature has hit a roadblock, either, after Tom Hanks and Will Smith flirted with the possibility of headlining, during which time Kathryn Bigelow was attached to direct. Dead Men Tell No Tales star Johnny Depp was also said to be in contention early on.
As for this latest development, Deadline notes that creative differences ultimately caused Triple Frontier to grind to a halt, after Channing Tatum and Tom Hardy reportedly took issue with J.C. Chandor’s reworked script. Hardy then requested extensive changes, but it seems all involved failed to reach some form of creative compromise, leading to Paramount’s decision to pull out. J.C. Chandor’s crime pic will now attempt to regroup and locate a new cast, so stay tuned for more.
