Shia LaBeouf Quits Broadway Debut Over 'Creative Differences'

(Photo: Reuters/Tony Gentile)
Actor Shia LaBeouf poses on the red carpet during a screening for the movie "The Company You Keep" at the 69th Venice Film Festival September 6, 2012.

By Sami K. Martin , Christian Post Contributor

February 21, 2013|7:28 am

Shia LaBeouf has quit his Broadway debut. The 26-year-old was to star in a revival of "Orphans" but quit due to "creative differences," reports state.

LaBeouf has an established career in Hollywood and was looking forward to expanding into theater with the revival of "Orphans," the story of two orphaned brothers who decide to kidnap a wealthy man. Yet in a statement released by LaBeouf's publicist, there were too many "creative differences" between him and the producers.

The show is set to open in less than one month, and producers have said they will announce LaBeouf's replacement soon. For now, though, the cast hinges on Alec Baldwin's portrayal of the rich kidnapping target.

LaBeouf announced last year that he was "done" with big-name, big-budget Hollywood films and wanted to pursue a more independent career.

"There's no room for being a visionary in the studio system," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "You give Terrence Malick a movie like 'Transformers' and he's [explicative]. There's no way for him to exist in that world. [Big studios] give you the money, then get on a plane and come to the set and … chase you around for five months," he added.

LaBeouf has starred in several franchise movies, including "Transformers" and "Indiana Jones," which was directed by Steven Spielberg. LaBeouf famously insulted the man who gave him a golden opportunity in "Indiana Jones" and later apologized and explained his actions to the Reporter.

"He told me there's a time to be a human being and have an opinion, and there's a time to sell cars. It brought me freedom, but it also killed my spirits because this was a dude I looked up to like a sensei," LaBeouf said. His relationship with Spielberg still remains tenuous.

Since performing in the final "Transformers" film, LaBeouf has chosen more controversial roles in films such as "Lawless"; "The Company You Keep"; and "Nymphomaniac," which is due out this year.