Skydance is no longer moving forward with Dallas Stinga football project starring Matthew McConaughey that would be directed by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Kari Skogland.
The pulling of the plug comes as the inspirational drama was only six weeks away from the start of production and was almost completely cast.
Set in 1984, the main project was to tell the true story of a Dallas girls soccer team who traveled to China and, against the odds, defeated some of the best women’s teams in the world. McConaughey would play coach Bill Kinder, who led the team to victories over Australia, Japan and China and eventually Italy in the championship game.
Sources say Skydance and the producers received disturbing allegations about aspects of the true story on which the drama was based. That investigation led Skydance and the producers to pull the plug, according to sources.
Skydance, which co-produced with Berlanti Schechter Productions, declined to comment.
A source close to the decision noted that Skydance and the producers were disappointed by the development, as they felt the story of the 1984 team and its young wives deserved to be told.
smart book breakout Kaitlyn Dever, who recently starred in Dopessick and will appear in the upcoming George Clooney-Julia Robets rom-com Ticket to paradise, was cast as the coach’s daughter. And the production spent a significant amount of effort and money going through an extensive audition process to find real-life football players who could then work on their acting skills.
The movie, which had a script by GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, would take place against the backdrop of President Ronald Reagan opening relations with China. The move highlights the potential risks that can arise from telling true stories.