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Anyone who’s been looking forward to seeing Denzel Washington back in a big historical epic sadly might have to hang on a bit longer. That’s because Netflix has reportedly put Hannibal, the much-anticipated film from director Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington, on hold over worries about the budget.

The project, which was set to tell the story of the legendary Carthaginian military commander Hannibal Barca, had loads of people talking ever since it got announced. And fair enough too. It would’ve brought Washington and Fuqua back together again, the Oscar-winning actor-director partnership behind Training Day and The Equalizer films. Throw in one of history’s most famous military leaders and a giant like Netflix, and people’s expectations were always going to be through the roof.

So then, what’s actually gone on? According to reports from the industry, pre-production on the film has been paused while Netflix and the producers have another look at what the project’s really going to cost. The important thing to remember is that the film hasn’t been binned off. It just seems to have hit the sort of budget review that often comes with massive historical productions.

And if we are being fair, that’s not exactly a shock. Just think about what a film about Hannibal would need. We are talking huge battle scenes, thousands of soldiers, meticulous period costumes, entire ancient cities rebuilt for the screen, and, most famously of all, Hannibal’s bold march across the Alps with his war elephants during the Second Punic War. Bringing moments like that to life in a believable way would need a serious amount of money spent on visual effects, production design, and filming in different locations.

Reports reckon filming was being lined up in Italy, which only shows how ambitious the whole thing is. Netflix hasn’t come out and revealed the actual budget, but plenty of industry observers reckon the costs could easily end up in the same territory as today’s biggest historical blockbusters.

What makes the timing interesting is that, over the last few years, studios and streaming services have become a lot more careful about throwing hundreds of millions at large-scale productions. Epic films can bring loads of attention and even award recognition, but they also come with a fair bit of financial risk. There are no guarantees of success, especially these days when the entertainment business keeps changing and companies are under pressure to justify every major spend.

That said, there’s still every reason to stay positive. Hollywood projects run into delays and production pauses all the time before eventually getting over the line. In plenty of cases, these temporary setbacks lead to adjustments that make a film easier to manage. Sources suggest Netflix and the filmmakers are still keen to bring Hannibal to the screen, which points to this current pause being more of a strategic rethink than a permanent problem.

For now, though, fans can only keep an eye on things and wait. The idea of Denzel Washington playing one of history’s greatest military strategists is still a cracking prospect. If the budget issues can be sorted out, Hannibal could yet become one of Netflix’s biggest and most talked-about productions.