Earlier this month Nick Allen reported that Chris Pine, who played James Kirk in the successful Star Trek film earlier this year, was in negotiations to star with Denzel Washington in Unstoppable. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film might be anything but. The Tony Scott directed film was scheduled to start shooting this fall but apparently Fox studio has some budget concerns over the action-heavy, runaway train picture. Who can blame them after the disappointing box office performance of the other recent Washington and Scott film involving a train, The Taking on Pelham 1 2 3. That film had a budget of $100 million and has only grossed just over $53 million domestically to date.
Recent box office numbers aside, earning as much as $20 million a film, Washington is a budget strain by himself. Scott is also known for higher-budget projects, which is great when they payoff but studios are cracking down in the current economic climate and taking fewer risks.
Producer Julie Yorn and others have been developing the film for a few years now. If they can't agree on numbers with the studio, Unstoppable may be "unworkable" for the time being.
Source: Hollywwood Reporter