UPDATED: Steven Spielberg Postpones ROBOPOCALYPSE Indefinitely

Deadline.com has reported that Steven Spielberg is intent to slow down pre-production on his upcoming film ROBOPOCALYPSE. The acclaimed director had previously announced that shooting would begin in the spring, and had received an April 25, 2014 theatrical release date.

Given the large budget and nature of adapting Daniel H. Wilson's post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel, as well as just having come off of directing Disney's LINCOLN, Spielberg wants to hold off, and take some time off, the site reports.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Spielberg is postponing the project indefinitely. Marvin Levy, Spielberg's spokesman said the film was "too important and the script is not ready, and it's too expensive to produce. It's back to the drawing board to see what is possible."

Spielberg will reportedly also abandon the directorial reigns, passing them on to someone else with more time to undertake the large project.

ROBOPOCALYPSE was to star Anne Hathaway and Chris Hemsworth - there's no word on whether or not the two are still attached to the project given the abrupt change of schedule.

Exploring the fate of the human race following a robot uprising, the ROBOPOCALYPSE screenplay was written by Drew Goddard, based on the novel of the same name by Wilson. Dreamworks acquired the rights to Wilson's unpublished manuscript in November 2009. Published by Doubleday on June 8, 2011, the book soon appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

BWW Movies World will keep you updated as the breaking news on the highly-anticipated project develops.