Did Universal almost pull the plug on the $200M Battleship?

With just 15 days left until filming begins on Peter Berg’s $200 million BATTLESHIP film, we’re now getting word that back in June, Universal considered pulling the plug on the whole affair. The budget was rising, a dicey concept (a big-budget spectacle based on a board game) and there are no proven stars (currently Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna are the big stars) leading the film. Universal has been struggling to get back on track and while DESPICABLE ME was a great step in the right direction, according to reports, there was worry that BATTLESHIP was too much of a gamble.

While Universal denies the rumor, The Hollywood Reporter says that in mid-June, Universal executives met to discuss BATTLESHIP and pull the plug on the film. They eventually decided to go ahead with the project but decided to limit the amount of on-water shooting to just five days (with the rest shot on soundstages in Hawaii and Baton Rouge).

It would not be the first time Universal has pulled the plug on a high-profile project before shooting could begin. It halted AMERICAN GANGSTER before replacing the director, replacing some of the cast and eventually restarting a few months later. It also dropped the Josh Brolin drama CARTEL, five weeks before filming was set to begin.

While Berg seems to have righted his ship (ahem…), it still seems there’s some hand-wringing at the studio over whether BATTLESHIP can sink the competition. Hmm, anymore boat-related puns before I leave?

What do you guys think? Are you interested in a alien-invasion movie set at sea based off a board game?