Homeland

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has pulled out of directing high-profile FX drama pilot Tyrant, from Homeland executive producers Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff and Six Feet Under alum Craig Wright. Lee committed to Tyrant shortly after winning a second directing Oscar (and third overall) for Life Of Pi. But after 4.5 years devoted to making Life Of Pi, a year to promote it and another six months of Oscar campaigning, I hear Lee felt he didn’t have gas left in the tank. Additionally, he had made other previous commitments, including his current role as a juror at the Cannes Film Festival. I hear Lee called Gordon this morning from Cannes. In a very emotional call, Lee informed him that, despite his best intentions, he wouldn’t be able to proceed because he he had hit a wall physically and mentally after a grueling last few years. Lee had been looking forward to Tyrant, the first pilot he had ever agreed to direct, and loved the script. He had looked at some scouting locations but was yet to begin actively working on the pilot. It is unclear yet where the project will film, with Morocco and Turkey among the locales discussed. Created by Raff and developed by Gordon and Wright, Tyrant tells the story of an unassuming American family drawn into ... Read More »

(Reuters) - OSI Systems Inc said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued it a "proposed debarment notice" related to privacy concerns over its full-body passenger scanners used in airports, limiting the company's ability to sign new federal government contracts until the issue is resolved.