The movie of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls has been shelved indefinitely by Warner Bros., according to an article in the New York Times. The project, long in development, was to have been directed by Joel Schumacher, and recently the actors Don Cheadle and Andre Braugher, and pop singer Lauryn Hill had been approached.

However, after the recent financial failure of Warners film "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," -- which, like Dreamgirls, featured three African American female leads and a music business theme -- the studio decided Dreamgirls was not a bankable prospect.

Warner Bros. has recently suffered a series of flops, such as "The Postman" and "The Avengers." "Dreamgirls" had a budget of $35 million and was to be produced by David Geffen. Schumacher, the director behind "Batman and Robin" and "A Time to Kill," had been working on "Dreamgirls" for years.

According to the Times, it is unlikely that another studio will pick up "Dreamgirls" due to movie studios' habit of hanging on to film properties, even if they have no plans to make them.

The 1981 Broadway production of Dreamgirls was directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett and featured Jennifer Holliday. The show was written by Henry Krieger (music) and Tom Eyen (book and lyrics). -- By Robert Simonson