Script problems hold up 'Eucalyptus'

SYDNEY, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Production has been indefinitely postponed on "Eucalyptus," the Australian film starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman.

The delay was called shortly before shooting was to have begun. The main problem appeared to be the script from writer-director Jocelyn Moorhouse, the Australian said.

"The reality is that the script was not at a level that everyone wanted," said John Scott, marketing manager for Twentieth Century Fox.

Australian author Murray Bail, whose novel was the basis for the $25 million film, also had reservations about the casting of Kidman, who at age 37 is playing the 19-year-old heroine.