No one is safe from the dreaded credit crunch - not even Shakespeare's King Lear.
The star-studded film adaptation was to be directed by American writer Joshua Michael Stern, with Sir Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts and Keira Knightley all featuring.
However, the movie has been scrapped after Ruby Films failed to secure the $36 million needed. A spokeswoman for the production company said, "Ruby are no longer doing it - the film will no longer go ahead."
However, another big screen adaptation of the famous Shakespeare tragedy has not been hit by the global economic crisis. The rival production will see Al Pacino play the title character.