Warner Bros. is still trying to find a director to helm its new crime drama ‘Tales From the Gangster Squad,’ Slashfilm.com is reporting. With several directors declining to take on the project, including Ben Affleck and Darren Aronofsky, questions are rising over why they have declined to take on the film.

As of now, the WB is still considering Scott Cooper, who directed this year’s Academy Award-winning film ‘Crazy Heart.’ But the studio has also brought in two new options, Ruben Fleischer, who helmed last year’s hit ‘Zombieland,’ and Jose Padilha, who directed ‘Elite Squad.’

The early contenders for the movie, which is based on the LAPD’s effort to curtail gangster activity in the 1940s and ’50s, included Greg Berlanti, Martin Campbell, Paul Greengrass and Francis Lawrence. The WB continues to want to make this movie, as studio executives view it as a franchiseable property. Padilha is considered to be a front-runner, as he’s proved himself in the crime drama genre.

Written by: Karen Benardello