It seems that, try as it might, "The Outsider" is aiming to pair up hotshot directors and actors, but isn’t able to make them stick. Back in 2012, Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House," "Easy Money") and Michael Fassbender were lined up for the movie, but when that didn’t happen, an even more promising combo of Tom Hardy and Takashi Miike were assembled for the flick. But it seems that too has failed to come together.
Twitch is reporting that with pre-production underway on the film, Hardy exited the movie, which in turn forced Miike to bail as well due to scheduling. And it’s shame because the material sounds great. Father-son producers Art and John Linson came up with the story, which was turned into a 2011 Black List script by Andrew Baldwin, that follows an American G.I. and former prisoner of war who rises in the yakuza in post-World War II Japan.
Right now, producers are apparently looking for a new director and star to take over, so we’ll see what happens next. But replacing the potential of Hardy and Miike will be a tall order.