Annapurna ankles 'Side Effects'

Despite a release last week from distributor Open Road, it appears that Annapurna Pictures will not be financing Steven Soderbergh's "Side Effects." Open Road, which had signed on to distribute the film domestically, announced Jan. 18 that the two companies would partner on the film, produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Gregory Jacobs and Scott Z. Burns, who also wrote the screenplay. Annapurna's Megan Ellison, Marc Butan and Ted Schipper were to have served as exec producers. Annapurna's decision to drop off the film came late on Friday, sources told Variety. At one point, project had three high-profile thesps attached -- Channing Tatum, Blake Lively and Jude Law -- but their current involvement is unclear. Meanwhile, Open Road said it's still onboard: "The Open Road deal to release the picture is in place," a spokesperson for Open Road told Variety. Plot details are still under wraps. While the film currently has no financier, sources tell Variety that the film has multiple offers and will likely lock down a deal before Sundance is over. Annapurna is behind a number of notable projects slated for release this year, including John Hillcoat's "Wettest County," the Brad Pitt-toplined "Cogan's Trade" and Kathryn Bigelow's untitled project about the capture of Osama Bin Laden. Annapurna did not return requests for comment. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com