"Queen" scribe drops directing debut

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Peter Morgan, the Oscar-nominated writer of "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon," will no longer make his directing debut on "The Special Relationship," a drama about the political ties between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s.

Richard Loncraine, an Emmy-winning director of the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," will take over the helm of the HBO Films/BBC Films project. Morgan will remain "integrally involved in every aspect of the production" in his role as a writer/executive producer, according to HBO.

No reason was cited for Morgan's departure, but the in-demand British scribe recently signed on to co-write the next James Bond picture.

The cast, crew and filming schedule for "Special Relationship," which has been greenlighted for production, remain intact.

Dennis Quaid is on board to play Clinton, while Michael Sheen will reprise his "Queen" role as Blair. Julianne Moore and Helen McCory will play their respective wives.

Filming is slated to begin July 20 in London.

Sheen also played Blair in the 2003 Morgan-written film "The Deal," and David Frost in last year's "Frost/Nixon."

(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)