It’s been a while since I’ve taken Spanish, so please correct me if I’m wrong. Does the name “Pablo Escobar” loosely translate to “kiss of death”?

Just when it looked like a movie about the Colombian drug lord would finally get off the ground, two different projects have experienced setbacks. Although he was originally attached to star in Joe Carnahan’s Killing Pablo, Javier Bardem recently chose to back out of the project. (This would be the second film Bardem has changed his mind on this year; he was once scheduled to play the lead in Nine.)

The Oscar-winning actor told Entertainment Weekly that his decision was based on a matter of timing. “Joe has great material and it’s going to be spectacular, be we just couldn’t find a time when we could both work.” Unfortunately, this casting hole has left producers scrambling for a new actor to play Escobar. Now It’s hoped that a deal with Edgar Ramirez (The Bourne Ultimatum) can be struck in time for filming this October.

Meanwhile, the makers of another cartel film are having production problems of their own. Scheduling conflicts and a financial dispute have forced director Antoine Fuque and producer Oliver Stone to temporarily set aside Escobar.

Unfortunately, there’s one thing we’ve learned from HBO’s Entourage, Even if these projects about Escobar finally get made, it doesn’t mean anyone will like ‘em.