'Game' over for Focus?

Carrey, Diaz, Muccino take leave of laffer

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Carrey

Diaz

Schamus

The Focus Features romantic comedy "A Little Game" imploded Tuesday with the abrupt exits of Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz and director Gabriele Muccino just a couple of weeks before its Oct. 19 start date.

Focus, though, is still hoping that studio topper James Schamus, an accomplished scribe in his own right, can keep the project going.

Schamus is making a last-ditch attempt to nail a rewrite and set a new director to salvage the film and perhaps Carrey's participation in it.

"Game" is the third straight Carrey vehicle that failed to make it to the starting gate after "Used Guys" was unplugged by Fox and "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" was postponed at Paramount.

Both actors joined the project -- an adaptation of a French play about a couple plagued by breakup rumors -- in July, subject to a rewrite that would address problems each thesp had with the third act. Schamus helped guide Muccino through that rewrite, but the resulting draft took the comedy in a direction that prompted the actors to bail.

Focus dismissed Muccino, and Schamus has made himself available to do the rewrite.

Stephanie Danan, who's producing the film with Alain Chabot, said a crew has been hired and is standing by in hopes that the project can be salvaged.

"Cameron is no longer part of the project, but we're still hoping to make this movie with Jim," she said. "Right now, we are regrouping but still planning to move forward with the movie. We'll play with the dates, but the intent is to shoot it before Christmas."

It's still a longshot to keep Carrey on the project. He and Diaz signed on partly because they wanted to work together again (they last teamed in "The Mask"), but also because they so liked Muccino's "The Pursuit of Happyness," which stars Will Smith.

Muccino's exit makes a return for either thesp unlikely. Reps for both have put out word that they're available for other projects. 

Project is also the second in a row to fall apart for Muccino, who was skedded to reteam with Smith in Col's "Tonight, He Comes."

"Used Guys" was unplugged by Fox because of its $112 million budget despite the presence of Carrey, Ben Stiller and director Jay Roach.

"Ripley's Believe It or Not!" was postponed by Paramount partly over budget, but also because Carrey came up with a flurry of ideas that necessitated a rewrite. According to the studio and reps for the actor and director, Carrey and director Tim Burton are still determined to meet up in China to make the film once a rewrite is done and after Burton directs "Sweeney Todd" for DreamWorks and Warner Bros.