Paramount almost didn’t make a PG-13 blockbuster adaptation of Max Brooks‘ zombie novel World War Z, and that would have probably been for the best.  The project, which was envisioned as the first part of a potential trilogy, would have been dead if the movie didn’t get a co-financier, but the studio eventually found partners in producer Graham King‘s GK Films and David Ellison‘s Skydance Productions.  Now they’re all paying the price as the production has spun wildly out of control, soared to more than a $170 million budget, requires five weeks of complex reshoots (others have put the number at 7-8 weeks), and brought in Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof to do re-writes on a picture that won’t be able to get back in front of cameras until September.

So how did production on World War Z go so horribly wrong?  Hit the jump for more.

Jason Statham is reportedly circling the thriller Echelon.  The project will mark the directing debut of stunt coordinator Simon Crane.  As you may recall, Crane was originally set to direct the adaptation of Kane & Lynch, but dropped off the project.  According to Deadline, the film is based off novel Firewall and would have Statham playing “Nick Stone, an SAS soldier who finds himself caught between the Russian Mafia and western secret agents trying to get their hands on the Echelon computer program.”  Presumably the role requires lots of punching, kicking, shooting, and growling in a menacing-yet-charming brogue.  Firewall is the 3rd book in a 13-book series by former SAS soldier Andy McNab, so if the movie is successful, Statham could be looking at a potential franchise.

Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate are having a rough time finding someone to direct their adaptation of the Eidos video game Kane & Lynch.  Stunt coordinator Simon Crane was set to make his directing debut on the flick, but dropped off in May.  He was replaced by Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum), but 24 Frames reports that he has also left the project.  This puts previous mentioned names Wayne Kramer (Running Scared) and F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen) back into the mix along with Antonie Fuqua (Training Day).  Production was set to begin next month but has been pushed back indefinitely.

The film is set to star Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx as escaped convicts Adam “Kane” Marcus and James Seth Lynch.  Kane is forced to team-up with the schizophrenic killer Lynch in order to break out of prison and find a stolen microchip.

Director F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen) is reportedly at the top of the short list to helm the adaptation of the video game Kane & Lynch with Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx attached to star.  We reported a couple weeks ago that Wayne Kramer (The Cooler) was in talks to direct after stunt effects coordinator Simon Crane dropped off the project.  In that same article, we noted that Gray had been offered the project, but turned it down.  It looks like the studio, Millennium Films, has been able to bring Gray back to the table.  According to Heat Vision, director Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job) is also on the short list.

The video game follows death-row inmate Kane (Willis) who, along with a schizophrenic killer named Lynch (Foxx), is sprung by Kane’s former team so that they can retrieve a stolen microchip that’s worth a fortune.  Lynch acts as the team’s watchdog in order to save his wife and daughter.  I’m sure the mother and daughter will be overjoyed to see their schizophrenic killer husband and father again.  Production is set to begin this August.

Director Wayne Kramer (Running Scared) is reportedly in talks to helm the upcoming adaptation of the video game Kane & Lynch.  Stunt Coordinator Simon Crane was set to make his directing debut on the film, but according to Latino Review, “it wasn’t working out” with the studio.  An offer then went out to F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen) but he turned down the project.  Now they’re talking to Kramer and production is scheduled to begin in August.

Based off the Eidos game and written by Kyle Ward, the film stars Bruce Willis as Kane, a mercenary who’s forced to team up with Lynch, a schizophrenic killer played by Jamie Foxx, in order to escape prison and find a stolen microchip.  Anyone who has seen Running Scared knows that Kramer would be a fantastic choice for this project.

You can click here to check out a high-resolution poster for Kane & Lynch that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.  Also, click here for Steve’s interview with producers Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter.

Last week, we showed you a photo from the Cannes Film Festival of the promo poster for the upcoming Bruce Willis/Jamie Foxx action film Kane & Lynch.  Now, we have a high resolution image of that poster and you can check it out after the jump.  The poster sells the movie simply: Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx are in our flick and they have giant guns that aren’t just for show.

Directed by Simon Crane, the film is based off the Eidos video game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.  Hit the jump to see the hi-res poster along with a brief synopsis of the game.  Kane & Lynch is due out in theaters sometime in 2011.