Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella's Mirage Enterprises had scheduled the film, the most promising to come out of the UK in a long time, for a March shoot date in Rome's famous Cinecitta studios, but a series of frustrating issues have blighted the veteran directors' plans.

Originally headed up by Walter Salles, Assumption is being developed with BBC Films and Intermedia with talent in tantalising shape of Benicio Del Toro opposite Juliette Binoche.

An earlier delay ruled out a 2001 shoot when Del Toro broke his wrist shooting The Hunted.

Then Sallas, tied up with his juicy Che project, Motorcycle Diaries, dropped out earlier in November. Mirage producer David Rubin, hasn't lost hope like many others, "We are aggressively trying to set it up with another director as soon as possible."

Del Toro and Binoche are the only two attached to the tale of a nun who absconds from her convent to follow Renaissance genius Fra Lippi, but Geoffrey Rush and Chloe Sevigny have also been reported as involved.

Pollack has considered stepping in as director, but such a move is still far from certain, especially after admitting that he believes every film he shoots will be a flop in a speech in Australia recently.

Minghella can't take the reins as he is committed to shooting Cold Mountain in June with Tom Cruise. Despite Rubin's faith in the project, many are sceptical about its realisation - he could have a Don Quixote-esque tragedy on his hands.