In one of the more shocking developments, Annapurna Pictures has dropped their untitled Fox News movie just days before production was supposed to start.

The film centers on the sexual harassment cover-up that went on inside the right-winged new organization and how exiting anchors like Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) changed the culture of sexual harassment for the better. More on the report below.

According to THR, the production company behind Fences and The Birth of a Nation, Bron Studios will now be co-financing the production. Additionally, Focus Features, Amblin, and Participant Media have been named as possible distributors to acquire the title. Even more shocking, this comes hours after Malcolm McDowell was added to the cast to portray Rupert Murdoch.

Variety says that a new distributor will be named within the next couple of weeks. According to their report, Annapurna was growing weary of the film’s ballooning budget. THR said the film’s budget was $35 million. Another source said that the film was under budget. So there are conflicting reports as to why Annapurna dropped the pic, but it’s clear that it is a hot project by the number of distributors that want to acquire the title.

The untitled Fox News film comes from Jay Roach who is best known for his Austin Powers and Meet the Parents films as well as HBO political titles like Recount, Game Change, and All the Way. He will be using a script written by Oscar-winning The Big Short screenwriter Charles Randolph.

John Lithgow is set to play Roger Ailes, the disgraced Fox News chairman who was accused of sexually harassing many women at the network. Other cast members include Margot Robbie and Kate McKinnon.

In 2016, Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment. The lawsuit would open the way for other women to come out with their own accusations. As a result, Fox News settled with Carlson for $20 million and Ailes exited the news organization.

[Source: THR | Variety]