Barry Sonnenfeld drops out of directing Lore starring Dwayne Johnson

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Warner Bros announced back in April of 2012 that Dwayne Johnson would star for director Barry Sonnenfeld in a big budget adaptation of the comic LORE and since then we have heard very little. Johnson has gone on to star in a string of franchise successes while Sonnenfeld recently directed MEN IN BLACK 3. The project is far from dead but now Johnson will be acting for relative newcomer David Green.

The Hollywood Reporter says Sonnenfeld left over budget disagreements and Green stepped in. Green’s biggest credit to date was the Disney film ECHO which the studio sold off to Relativity due to the subject matter not matching their family friendly focus. That film cost $5 million which leads me to believe that LORE will be going significantly cheaper than originally expected.

Here’s a synopsis for LORE:

The sci-fi actioner, with a script by Cory Goodman and Jeremy Lott, tells of a secret society of shepherds (they herd monsters) that has long held the line on the encroachment of mythological creatures, and when the succession line is broken in modern days, a woman finds herself shouldering the responsibility to stop the creatures’ return.

The fantasy/horror format has become very popular recently but has only been truly successful on television with shows like GRIMM and ONCE UPON A TIME. Films set in fantasy worlds are very hit or miss on the big screen. Attaching Dwayne Johnson is a plus but not necessarily a guarantee of a box office success.

LORE has no release date scheduled but with Dwayne Johnson‘s packed shooting schedule with HERCULES: THE THRACIAN WARS followed by FAST AND FURIOUS 7, I wouldn’t expect to see LORE shoot until at least the end of next year.