John Travolta Dropped From "Dallas" Movie
December 19, 2007 by Jeanne
Actor, John Travolta, is no longer among the cast for the upcoming "Dallas" movie, which shocks me because he’s been the project’s selling point for 2 years!
Page Six has been told that the Golden Globe-nominated actor (for his role in Hairspray) was "let go about two weeks ago. He had the role of J.R. Ewing taken from him and given to Ben Stiller." Stiller’s rep did not confirm this.
The source went on to say that "John was given a nice seven-figure ‘gift’ to go away quietly. He also got five family members roles in the movie, and they aren’t going to be in it now, either."
One of Travolta’s friends is said to have confirmed the fact that he is no longer in the movie but denied the ‘gift’ and family member thing. There’s been no comment from Travolta’s camp.
So far, this "Dallas" movie is living up to the original television show’s drama. Here’s a quick list of some of the most notable problems:
- The cast was significantly affected when Shirley MacLaine (who was to play Miss Ellie), Luke Wilson (Bobby Ewing) and Jennifer Lopez (Sue Ellen) were dropped or dropped out.
- Meg Ryan and Matthew McConaughey have been mentioned but neither was signed.
- Director Robert Luketic was fired in favor of Gurinder Chadha ("Bend it Like Beckham)
- The budget was downsized from $65 million to "something way less."
As a result of all this, "Dallas" looks like it will be a "comedic, behind-the-scenes" film rather than a drama.
That’s just sad and lame. You can’t bring back a television classic and alter it like that! Oh… wait… "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Miami Vice" were barely recognizable so I guess they can do it. Sometimes I think it’s best to just shelve a project if you can’t do it right, know what I mean?
