Sydney Pollack has pulled out of the upcoming TV film Recount, the film that looks at the contested 2000 U.S. Presidential election farce because of illness.

Previously we had heard that he pulled out of the HBO film and Jay Roach was taking over, that news had surprised everyone, Jay Roach directed Meet the Parents and Austin Powers, hardly political thriller material.

Now, according to an HBO spokesperson through Reuters, that he has some “medical issues” and that he's not feeling well enough to go into production.

Personally I think that HBO have made a poor replacement choice, or they've seen something incredible from Roach that we haven't.

Sydney Pollack has a raft of superb titles under his belt, and probably the most relevant to this film are The Interpreter and Three Days of the Condor, both excellent political thrillers. Now we have to hope that Pollack gets well soon and that Roach can successfully make an insightful film into the “election” farce.