Jennifer Lopez exits film about Chilean miners

Los Angeles, Sep 22 (IANS/EFE) Actress Jennifer Lopez has dropped out of "The 33" movie about the dramatic survival of miners trapped underground for over two months in a mine in Chile.

Entertainment blog Deadline said the actress-singer of Puerto Rican descent was unable to commit to the project due to scheduling problems resulting from her return to TV programme "American Idol".

The film will be directed by Mexico's Patricia Riggen and will feature Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen.

Banderas will play Mario Sepulvera, a charismatic miner who earned the nickname of "Super Mario" during the 2010 mine collapse in the Atacama desert.

The story revolves around what happened deep in the San Jose mine, where the miners were trapped for 70 days at some 700 metres underground before they were rescued in October 2010.

The original script was written in collaboration with the miners themselves and includes details never before told about their first 17 days underground, before they were able to make contact with the outside world.

Craig Borten, co-screenwriter of "Dallas Buyers Club", will be in charge of rewriting and polishing the screenplay.

Production is set to begin Nov 25.

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The 33