Warner Bros. Puts Jon Favreau's 'Jersey Boys' In Turnaround; Musical Being Shopped To Other Studios

Much as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons had a difficult road to the top, so too is the film adaptation of their Broadway musical Jersey Boys facing a tough trek to the screen. Purchased by GK Films for a hefty sum in 2010, Jersey Boys soon had director Jon Favreau prepping the John Logan-penned film at Warner Bros. He's been casting and even had some familiar faces potentially lined up for key roles. However, it seems the studio has decided the budget and international appeal aren't quite to its liking. The project, which was at Sony before landing at Warners, is now being shopped to other studios.

After the jump, read more about the story, this unfortunate turn of events and the actors that were reportedly being eyed for key roles. 

Variety broke the news of Warner Bros. parting ways with the project, which is an adaptation of the hit Tony Award winning Broadway musical about the rise to fame of the classic group Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons.The report states that the studio wasn't too keen on the budget for the period musical, which they felt had limited international appeal. Producer Graham King will reportedly meet with other studios in the coming days and weeks hoping to keep the film alive and maybe even on schedule. The original plan was a January shoot and Christmas opening.

Favreau and GK Films hadn't cast anyone yet but had a few actors in mind for some of the roles. Most notably John Magaro (Not Fade Away), Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger), Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire), Paul Dano (Looper) and James Badge Dale (The Pacific). No offers had been made.

This is certainly a blow to the project but, hopefully, the producers figure it out and can keep the busy Favreau on board. As a fan of the original show, I'm frankly surprised to read that the budget of the film was too high. It's a very modest story. Obviously, there's an expensive way to tell it, but I think there's a smaller way too. If we see the movie, I'm sure that'll be the way it ends up happening.

Here's my previously published Jersey Boys primer. Are you surprised at this news?

Jersey Boys is based on the real life rags to riches story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons who went from the street corners for New Jersey to massive musical success with songs such as Oh What A Night, Big Girls Don't Cry, Rag Doll, Sherry, and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. The show is one of the most successful ones still running on Broadway. It opened in 2005 and has sold over $1 billion in tickets not only in New York, but all over the world partially because of its relatable, inspiring story of working hard and fulfilling your dreams. More so it's the rare musical where almost everyone who sees it knows all the songs before stepping in to the theater.