Ang Lee Pulls Out Of ‘Tyrant’ At FX

Ang Lee has pulled out of Tyrant at FX, according to a Monday report from The Wrap.

The Life of Pi helmsman came aboard the project in March, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It would have been his first foray into the world of television after capturing the Best Director Oscar twice for Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi.

His Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also won for Best Foreign-Language Film.

At the time of the announcement, FX Networks president John Landgraf and Bert Salke, president of Fox 21 (producers) were elated.

“Ang Lee has demonstrated time and again an ability to present characters with such depth and specificity that they reveal the universal human condition,” the pair said in a release. “No one could be a more perfect filmmaker to bring … Tyrant to life.”

Now that Lee has left the project, Landgraf and Salke will need to find a new perfect fit. Lee’s camp did not release a reason for the director’s change of heart.

The pilot, produced by Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff (Homeland) and Craig Wright (Six Feet Under), follows an American family caught in the web of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation.

No actors have been cast on the project at this time, and with Lee’s departure it could make the quest a bit more challenging. The project was supposed to release this year, but with June quickly approaching, it will have to develop quickly.

Lee is also looking at an Old Testament Moses project that Steven Spielberg previously passed on. It’s a huge film in the making, based on a script written by Michael Green and Stuart Hazeldine. However, it’s still too early to say when that project might come to fruition or if it had anything to do with today’s decision.

Were you looking forward to seeing Ang Lee direct his first TV project in Tyrant? Who do you think should replace him?

[Image via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com]