The Rosie Project recently lost its purportedly not-ideal woman when Jennifer Lawrence pulled out of the production due to “scheduling conflicts” and/or a Darren Aronofsky film. Now /Film reports that Richard Linklater has followed her cue, thereby leaving the movie without a star or director, as the scientist who undertakes The Wife Project at the center of the book has not yet been cast. Linklater reportedly only signed on to direct so that he could work with Lawrence, so her departure prompted his own.
The film would have seen Lawrence play a barmaid named Rosie who doesn’t check any of the boxes in some socially inept scientist’s perfect-mate survey, but whom he falls for nonetheless. The script was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, who also penned The Fault In Our Stars and (500) Days Of Summer, two movies about couples of varying compatibility.
Lawrence and Linklater aren’t the only talent to ditch the production; Phil Lord and Chris Miller opted to focus on their young Han Solo project rather than direct. Maybe Sony Pictures should draft its own survey to weed out less-than-interested parties, or else consider changing the title to The Rosie Palm Project.