Anthony Mandler

Anthony Mandler(LOS ANGELES) — While Nick Jonas is very busy these days, there’s one particular iron he doesn’t have in the fire anymore.

Nick was set to star in the action thriller The Blacksmith, which would have featured him as a Jason Bourne-meets-MacGyver character: A weapons expert for intelligence agencies who must go on the run with only his “unique set of skills” to protect him.   However, according to the Hollywood Reporter, he’s now dropped out of the project due to scheduling problems.

Because the start of shooting has been delayed, Nick couldn’t fit the movie into his schedule, the head of the movie studio producing the film told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Nick, as you can imagine, has a lot of other commitments, with his acting and his music,” explained CEO Stuart Ford. “Under normal circumstances, he could fly in and out, go to do things over the weekend, and come back to set Monday. But in a COVID environment, that doesn’t work.”

Ford notes that Nick would “have to stay in the same place for three months,” adding, “With a star like Nick Jonas, it became borderline impossible to make the schedule work.” The part will now be re-cast.

In other Nick Jonas news, he’s releasing another new song, “This Is Heaven,” on March 4, following its debut on Saturday Night Live.  His solo album Spaceman is due March 12.  Meanwhile, his new sci-fi movie Chaos Walking is out Friday.

By Andrea Dresdale
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