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Spielberg Shelved $200M 'Robopocalypse' Fearing It Would End His Studio

Steven Spielberg shelved the adaptation of 'Robopocalypse' because its estimated $200 million budget posed too great a financial risk. He feared it would be a "company-ender" that could bankrupt his own DreamWorks studio or any other backer. Despite interest from other companies willing to finance it with him as director, Spielberg felt he couldn't guarantee an audience large enough to justify the cost. The director now reveals he is still keen to make more sci-fi films, his first horror movie, and is currently developing a non-traditional Western.

Key Points: Why Spielberg Canceled His $200M Sci-Fi Epic 'Robopocalypse'

  • Shelved due to $200M budget risk
  • Called a potential "company-ender"
  • Spielberg didn't want to gamble DreamWorks
  • Other studios interested if he directed
  • Director still plans sci-fi, horror, and a Western
2 min read

Steven Spielberg reveals the reason behind shelving 'Robopocalypse'

Steven Spielberg reveals he shelved 'Robopocalypse' because its massive budget risked being a "company-ender" for DreamWorks or other studios.

Steven Spielberg reveals the reason behind shelving 'Robopocalypse'
"It was a company-ender. It would have ended a whole studio. - Steven Spielberg"

Los Angeles, April 13

The three time Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has revealed the reason behind shelving the sci-fi epic 'Robopocalypse'. The director shared that he shelved the film because it was on course to become "the most expensive movie" he'd ever made.

The director wanted to bring Daniel H. Wilson's 2011 novel to the big screen, but he worried it would be a "company-ender" if it failed to make back its estimated $200 million budget, reports 'Female First UK'.

He told 'Empire' magazine, "It was gargantuan. It was a company-ender. It would have ended a whole studio that would have never made its money back".

He further mentioned, "My company, DreamWorks, financed all these films, and I did not want to bring Robo into my own company, because it would have just been too expensive for us to produce. And then I took it out to other companies".

"I didn't want to pay for it, but other companies were interested in paying for it, as long as I was the director. The budget was so high that I didn't want to do that to anybody because I couldn't guarantee the audience. I couldn't even hope for a crowd that big that would justify that kind of a financial overreach. So, I literally decided it was going to be the most expensive movie I ever directed, and I wasn't ready to take that on", he added.

As per 'Female First UK', the director went on to reveal he has plenty more sci-fi films he still wants to make and he still hopes to eventually make his first horror movie.

It comes after the director recently acknowledged he also wants to make a Western and he's got a project already in development, teasing the film will have "horses and guns" but he is trying to steer away from other conventions and "tropes" typically associated with the genre, though he didn't give any plot details.

Speaking with The Big Picture at SXSW in Austin, Texas last month, he said, "Well, I'm developing a Western. And it's gonna have horses. There will be guns. But there'll be no tropes, I can just tell you that. There are gonna be no stereotypes, no tropes".

The Jaws director has long discussed his desire to work on a Western.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
$200 million is an insane amount! I appreciate his honesty about not being able to guarantee an audience. So many Hollywood films feel like they're made by committee just to make money. This feels like an artist protecting his vision and his colleagues.
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Priya S
A bit disappointed though! I was really looking forward to a Spielberg robot apocalypse movie. The concept sounds amazing. Hope he revisits it with a smaller, more focused budget someday. Sci-fi from his lens is always special.
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Rohit P
More interested in his Western! "Horses and guns but no tropes" – that's a fascinating challenge. Our own Indian cinema, especially the dacoit films of the 70s and 80s, had their own version of the Western. Curious to see what fresh angle he brings.
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Nikhil C
Smart move. After the recent box office disasters of some mega-budget films, it shows he understands the market. Audiences are becoming more selective. Maybe he can make a gripping sci-fi thriller for half that budget? Quality over scale any day.
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Meera T
His first horror movie is what has me excited! Imagine Spielberg's mastery of tension and storytelling applied to pure horror. That could be iconic. The man who made us afraid of the water (Jaws) now taking on something new... can't wait! 😱

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