LOS ANGELES, May 21 (Reuters) – Oscar winner Ang Lee
canceled his plans to direct the pilot of new U.S. television
series “Tyrant,” saying on Tuesday that he needed to rest after
spending four years working on 3D fantasy-adventure film “Life
of Pi.”
Lee, 58, signed on to direct the pilot of the drama series
for cable network FX in March, shortly after winning the Best
Director Oscar for “Life of Pi.”
“It is one of the most brilliant ideas for a series that
I’ve seen and one about which I was very excited,” Lee said in a
statement. “However, after spending over four years making and
promoting ‘Life of Pi,’ I have recently realized that I need
some rest.”
“Tyrant” tells the story of an American family that is
pulled into the workings of a restive Middle Eastern nation, and
Lee was slated to begin filming the pilot this summer.
It would have been the Taiwanese-born director’s first foray
into television.
“Tyrant” is produced by Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who
also are producers on Showtime’s Emmy-winning counter-terrorism
thriller “Homeland.”
FX, which did not immediately reply to messages seeking
comment, is owned by Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of
News Corp.
