Fangurls went into a tizzy when the news broke that Robert Rodriguez cast his fiance, Rose McGowan, as the lead in his remake of Barbarella.
Now, the director’s nepotism is biting him in the ass. Hard.
The NY Observer is reporting that Universal Studios has backed out of the film as a result of McGowan’s casting. As a result, the film will be financed solely by independent backers.
Rodriguez denies that Rose’s casting had anything to do with Universal losing interest in the film. Instead, he says it all had to do with money.
“Universal had initially signed on for $60 million,├óΓé¼┬¥ says Robert. “But then when we were done with the script it wound up at closer to $82 million.”
Rodriguez also counters that the folks at Universal were in fact thrilled with McGowan’s screen test, “blown over,” as he put it. “They said, ‘What are we looking at?’” Mr. Rodriguez said. “She looks fantastic in the role. … She was perfect for this part. She just has that daring look, a sort of classic sexiness that is also kind of futuristic.”
Sources close to the film paint a different story, though.
“It’s sort of embarrassing for everyone involved,” says an insider. “No one thinks Rose can carry the movie, but Robert won’t listen.”
Rodriguez is still trying to shop the movie – with McGowan attached – to other studios for additional backing.
[Image by Z. Tomaszewski via WENN.]