Bradley Cooper Won’t Play Lucifer in Paradise Lost

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/2011 Getty Images

Won’t someone let Bradley Cooper make a megabudget, effects-filled tentpole? The Hangover star has recently been on an admirable run of indie dramas, but it’s not completely intentional: Cooper tried to diversify his portfolio by attaching himself to a remake of The Crow and an action-filled adaptation of John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, only no one will finance them! The latter officially fell apart today, when Legendary Pictures balked at the $120 million price tag necessary to install Cooper as Lucifer in the Alex Proyas–directed film, which would have been packed with wall-to-wall angel battles. Does sex no longer sell?

Bradley Cooper Won’t Play Lucifer in Paradise Lost