'Troy' Production Will Go Ahead Says Studio

[Wednesday, February 19th, 2003]
Warner Bros. Pictures is disputing a published report in Britain's Guardian that the production for Troy, which was to begin in late April in Morocco, "has been put on hold due to fears of a terrorist attack and a looming war on Iraq.", according to Hollywood Reporter.

The newspaper had reported that the studio could not "guarantee the safety of the cast and crew in the Muslim country." This goes against what the studio is now saying. "It has not been put on hold, we are still going forward." said Dawn Taubin, president of Warner Bros. domestic marketing.

Taubin said that Warners could not comment on whether the location of the shoot will change, though sources close to the project said that filming would most likely shift locations, possibly to Mexico."The safety and welfare of the cast and crew is of utmost importance to us, and we will bear this in mind as we make production decisions," Taubin said.

The project is to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen and stars Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Rose Byrne. 'Troy' is expected to get a May 21, 2004 release date, alongside Paramount Pictures' Mission: Impossible 3. Universal Pictures is also said to be competing for the pre-Memorial Day crowd by releasing Stephen Sommers-directed Van Helsing in the same period.

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