Chris Pratt and Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence, two of the hottest names in Hollywood right now, are doing a film together. According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Passengers" is moving forward after being stuck in development hell for years and a behind-the-scenes issue regarding the film's finances.
According to the report, Pratt's fee has jumped from $10 million to $12 million, largely due to the financial success of "Jurassic World." He also made it big with "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "The LEGO Movie."
Meanwhile, Lawrence is reportedly getting $20 million for her participation against 30 per cent of the film's profits once it breaks even. She made a name for herself in "American Hustle," "Silver Linings Playbook," "The Hunger Games" and the "X-Men" franchise.
The report states that producer Tom Rothman was a little apprehensive about spending such money on talent and was also not so ready to risk $150 million for the film's production, particularly since the script had been floating in Hollywood for several years with no studio prior to Sony intent on picking it up.
According to the report, the film was waiting to be green lit when Rothman took over Amy Pascal's spot in Sony Pictures following the Sony e-mail hack incident. Rothman wanted to cut down the film's budget to $90 million but this was met with resistance. He also considered passing the film to Studio 8, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures.
"Passengers" is a science fiction romance drama piece and will be directed by Academy Award-nominee Morten Tyldum, who handled "The Imitation Game" starring Felicity Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch.
At one point the film's rights were under the Weinstein Co. and was to star Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon but only with a $35 million budget. There was also a time when Rachel McAdams was set to be in the film but that deal dropped. The film, now starring Pratt and Lawrence, is scheduled to finally hit production this September.
