Well, that was unexpected. Cowboy Ninja Viking, the planned Chris Pratt-starring action movie, has been removed from Universal Pictures’ release schedule one month before the film was to begin production. More on the story here below.

An exclusive story from Collider states that the studio has pulled the film and delayed it indefinitely. The news reportedly came as a surprise to those planning on starting production on film next month. Michelle MacLaren (Breaking Bad) was to direct the film adaptation of the comic book of the same name that would have seen Guardians Of The Galaxy star Pratt play an assassin who channels the three titular personas. Priyanka Chopra was also set to play the female lead. But now that the studio has put the breaks on the film, and it remains to be seen what their next move will be.

Sources close to this told Collider that the studio wasn’t in a rush to meet the original June 28, 2019 release date. Well, this could mean that Universal just wants to reevaluate the situation. These kinds of productions aren’t exactly cheap. Although, the site says the film did have a modest budget for a summer action blockbuster. That says a lot when you compare that to some of Pratt’s other summer films like Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

The good news is that Universal Pictures is still invested in the project and would like to see the title become a franchise. In fact, the studio is looking to redate the title for a later time.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the comic book:

Now the film would have marked MacLaren’s directorial debut. Before she was tapped to direct Wonder Woman – a project she would eventually walk away from – she had directed and produced a handful of episodes of Breaking Bad and Game Of Thrones. So one might say that she deserves to direct a theatrical film.

The latest draft of the screenplay was penned by Craig Mazin, whose previous credits include Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, The Hangover Part II and Part III, Identity Thief, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. A previous draft, as was reported back in 2010, was penned by Deadpool and Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

We’ll keep you posted should any new developments come in.

[Source: Collider]