Weather and penguins delay Gere film

The weather in Antarctica and the peculiarities of penguins have combined to delay Richard Gere’s next film for a year.

The producers of Emperor Zehnder, in which Gere is to play a photographer dedicated to photographing penguins in their natural habitat, were afraid they would miss the planned October start date, according to reports.

That time of year passes for spring at the South Pole and provides a break in the harsh weather.

The complicated technical nature of the film – including underwater footage of penguins – made shooting later in the year too risky.

The delay means that Gere now is looking for another project as Emperor Zehnder was supposed to have been his next film after Shall We Dance? in which he co-stars with Jennifer Lopez.