The New York Times reports that after Taymor delivered her two-hour, eight-minute cut of the film, which was then screened for a test audience, the company's head, Joe Roth, screened his own version of the film — which is about a half-hour shorter — without Taymor's agreement. Taymor is considering taking her name off the movie, according to an unnamed source.
The film is set to the music of The Beatles and is about two young people who fall in love in the 1960s, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) and Jude (Jim Sturgess). Taymor completed the shoot in 2005 and has been editing for almost a year. The initial release date of September 2006 was pushed back.
The Times quoted a statement from Taymor which read, "My creative team and I are extremely happy about our cut and the response to it," and "sometimes at this stage of the Hollywood process differences of opinion arise, but in order to protect the film, I am not getting into details at this time."
Roth — a former Disney studio chief and also a director of films such as "Christmas With the Kranks" and "Freedomland" — responded that his version was merely "an experiment" and that he hoped to come to a compromise.
Taymor's previous films include "Frida" and "Titus."