Warner Bros. Is Letting Go of 'Imitation Game'

Warner Bros. is letting go of its splashy World War II title The Imitation Game.

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The studio bought Graham Moore’s spec for seven figures last fall with the hope of attaching Leonardo DiCaprio. Warners also brought J Blakeson on board to direct in March. 

But DiCaprio no longer is eyeing the lead in Imitation Game, which centers on British cryptographer Alan Turing, who broke several German codes that helped the Allies win the war. Later in life, Turing was prosecuted for being homosexual, which led to his suicide.

The project had a progress-to-production clause, which was one factor in the decision to let it slide. DiCaprio never formalizing his attachment was another, according to insiders. Without DiCaprio, Imitation Game had become a less likely fit for the studio, which increasingly is focused on tentpoles.

Sources say CAA, which reps Moore and Blakeson, is now trying to repackage and find a new home for Game, with Blakeson staying at the helm.

Although the true-life story has been around since Andrew Hodges’ book Alan Turing: The Enigma was published in 1983, screenwriter Moore was the first to crack an adaptation, with his screenplay landing at the top of 2011’s Black List. 

Moore still has another DiCaprio vehicle brewing at Warners, Erik Larson’s best-seller Devil in the White City.