Kristen Stewart is of course best known for her leading role in The Twilight Saga, but the actress has been doing remarkably well to keep her career diverse over the years, and one particular film we were looking forward to seeing her in was Cali.
Stewart was set to pick up her first producing credit on the film as executive producer, with the brilliant Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook, Alpha Dog) behind the camera, and Alex Pettyfer recently set as her co-star in the film.
It now looks like the project is unfortunately going to be looking for a new leading female, with Gossip Cop revealing that the young actress has exited the movie. The report also states that Amber Heard (Zombieland, Drive Angry) has been offered the role in Stewart’s place, though Variety’s Josh Dickey suggests that talks of a replacement are premature.
The film would have seen Stewart taking the role of Mya,
“who pairs up with her boyfriend Chris to make a fake snuff film which they sell for a wad of cash before beating it out of the San Fernando Valley. Years later, she’s forced to head back to save her younger sister, but to do so she will have to face a bunch of oddball characters as well as keep a handle on her relationship with Chris.”
Production was set to get underway at the end of the summer, and as yet, there’s no word on whether there will be enough time to stick to that original schedule. Undoubtedly, it will depend on how quickly a strong replacement can be found, and when they would be available to fit the film into their schedules.
Cassavetes is set to direct a script from Michael Diliberti, whose 30 Minutes of Less was a lot of fun last year, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what he brings us next, with the film being described as a gritty actioner.
For the moment, it looks like Cali is a little bit up in the air. I would have loved to see Stewart take on the lead in this, but alas, it looks like it’s ultimately not going to be. The premise still sounds excellent, and I’m game for a Cassavetes film regardless of the cast, so it definitely remains one to keep an eye on. With a bit of luck, hopefully we’ll have some good news to bring you on the project’s development soon. More as we get it.
