Writer/director RICHARD CURTIS is sailing THE BOAT THAT ROCKED back into the editing room ahead of its U.S. release after the comedy failed to make waves at the British box office.
The Love Actually scribe is hoping the film, which stars Rhys Ifans and Bill Nighy, will find more commercial success with American audiences.
And he's agreed to re-edit the film and cut 20 minutes from the running time to ensure it's a Stateside hit, according to the president of Focus Features, the studio releasing the project in the U.S.
James Schamus explains, "It will be a shorter, leaner version. We think it is a real crowd-pleaser. We love a challenge." The Boat That Rocked cost more than $45 million (£30 million) to make but took in just $9.2 million (£6.1 million) in the U.K. in its first 12 weeks of release, with film critics complaining the film was too long.