Ang Lee 'pulls out of FX TV project Tyrant to rest'

Ang Lee is on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has reportedly pulled out of his first TV project, because he needs "some rest", after spending over four years working on Life of Pi.

He had signed up to direct the pilot episode of Tyrant in March, just weeks after Life of Pi won four Oscars.

In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter Lee said he realised that he could not give "100% to the project".

He said he was disappointed to pull out, but felt he had to.

"I cannot allow myself to do anything that may affect the potential for this exciting new series." he said in a statement.

'Brilliant idea'

The highly anticipated drama on TV channel FX revolves around an unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle East nation.

The team behind the show includes Homeland's Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who will act as executive producers.

Lee said it was still "one of the most brilliant ideas for a series" that he had seen and wished the team well with the "remarkable project".

In February Lee won his second best director Oscar for his 3D film Life of Pi, based on the Booker-winning novel about a shipwrecked boy and a Bengal tiger.

At the time he had admitted that he had been "obsessing about every detail of Life of Pi," for four years and it had "completely consumed" him.

For many years, the complicated novel was thought to be "unfilmable" and Lee admitted he thought so too at first.

"I read the book when it first came out, and it was obvious it couldn't be a movie," he said.

Lee's decision to follow up his Oscar win with a TV project was seen as a sign of the growing strength of cable TV.

The Taiwanese director is currently serving as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival.