Cartoon Elephant Director Taking Half-Mangled Confederate Project

When Crank co-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor left the Hex adaptation over creative differences, Warner Bros. knew they'd have to find a new director that could bring that certain something to make the project work. And when I'm saying "certain something" here, what I mean is the ability to direct a CGI adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book, because that obviously translates to a gory, supernatural, comic book-based Western. From THR:

Jimmy Hayward, who directed the animated "Horton Hears a Who!" will make his live-action debut with "Jonah Hex," the Warner Bros. western based on the DC Comics character.

Josh Brolin is attached to star in the film, which previously had Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor ("Crank") on board as directors. The duo, who also wrote the script, bowed out over creative differences in November. The studio, which hopes to put the movie into production in March or April, went on a fast-track search, putting together a short list that included such names as Andy Fickman and McG before narrowing it down to Hayward.

OK, I'll assume Jimmy Hayward has diverse enough talent to handle this--he's never been anything but great to me--but why is this being made again? Losing-the-directors time would have been a great time for a Warner executive to speak up and say, "You know what? I'm not sure why we're even pursuing this property. Hex? Who the eff is Hex? We're really making that? Let's just do an Aquaman. Everyone good with an Aquaman? OK, 2010, here comes Aquaman. Good meeting, Warner Brothers."