Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Frank or Francis’ Not Over Yet, Definitely Postponed

Good news and bad news for fans of writer Charlie Kaufman -- his musical satirical comedy 'Frank or Francis' hasn't been cancelled, as previously reported by Elizabeth Banks. It's just been postponed, for now.

When asked about the project in an interview, Elizabeth Banks is quoted as saying, "We didn't get to shoot that movie. It was ready to go, and, as many movies do, it fell apart at the last minute." Banks was set to star alongside Jack Black, Steve Carell, Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Kevin Kline, Paul Reubens, and Jackie Weaver.

Seems that Kevin Kline was also unsure of the film's status as recently as April, when he said, "It’s difficult to talk about because they keep moving the start date. I haven’t talked to Charlie Kaufman in four or five months. I’m waiting for a start date before I take it seriously." And Carell said this past week, "I haven't heard word of ['Frank or Francis'] recently."

In 'Frank or Francis' Steve Carrell would play Frank, a pretentious filmmaker who battles his longtime online nemesis, a film critic named Francis (Jack Black). Cage was cast as Alan Modell, a comedian who wears a fat suit and hosts the Oscars. It all sounds so sublimely meta, akin to Kaufman's other films, like 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Adaptation.'

Unfortunately, we're not sure when we'll see this latest ambitious effort. The Playlist reports that Kaufman's reps have responded to inquiries, saying that the film has not been cancelled, but "postponed." Keep your fingers crossed, people! We can't live in a world where there are four 'Ice Age' movies but Charlie Kaufman can't get his latest project off the ground.