Bullet Train Director David Leitch Wanted Lady Gaga To Play One Of His Assassins

One of these days, I'd like to see directors literally fighting over actors. If two directors (of the same weight class, natch) are competing against each other for the services of the exact same star, then I say put them in a boxing ring and let them duke it out to see who emerges the victor. After all, this is the entertainment business, folks. Entertain us!

Unfortunately, we're stuck in a world ruled by concepts such as "messy insurance claims" and "common sense" (well, I suppose the latter remains up for debate), so this will never become a thing. Instead, we have to hear about all the what-ifs and near-misses of actors having to pick one project over another due to scheduling, forced to imagine what could have been if things turned out differently. Recently, we heard about "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" star Elizabeth Olsen having to give up a coveted role in Yorgos Lanthimos' "The Lobster" due to her Marvel obligations. Today, we can add none other than Lady Gaga and "Bullet Train" director David Leitch to the list of hypothetical actor/director collaborations that might keep some of us (okay, maybe just me) awake at night.

Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on the fact that, despite prior reporting that Lady Gaga had joined "Bullet Train" — a movie best described as "'John Wick' on a train" — she ultimately had to drop out from a role as one of the assassins sent on a collision course with Brad Pitt's killer "Ladybug." According to Leitch, we can chalk up this disappointment to good ol' fashioned scheduling issues. The culprit? Ridley Scott!

"It really all came down to her schedule with the Ridley [Scott] film. There were short discussions and then, this isn't going to work because she was preparing for the Ridley movie '[House of] Gucci.' They shot right before us and overlapped with us and it really didn't work."