Elizabeth Banks had been signed on to direct Pitch Perfect 3, but reports say she has now stepped down from directing duties.
With her star power at an all-time high after big roles in monster hits like The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect and The LEGO Movie, Banks' schedule is pretty jam-packed, which was a factor in her departure, according to Variety. Aside from her producer and supporting role in Pitch Perfect 3, Banks plays villain Rita Repulsa in Power Rangers coming out in March 2017 and will play the lead in Rita Hayworth and a Hand Grenade which is currently in pre-production, according to IMDb. Banks is also set to direct and produce the Charlie's Angels movie reboot.
Universal pushed the Pitch Perfect 3 release date from July 21, 2017 to December 22, 2017 just a few days ago.
After producing and co-starring in the first film, Banks took directing duties on Pitch Perfect 2, which grossed over $287.5 million worldwide in 2014. The film is Banks' biggest success worldwide outside of The Hunger Games movies, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and The LEGO Movie.
Pitch Perfect 3 sees the return of stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow and a script from the writer of the first two films, Kay Cannon (30 Rock, New Girl). The movie opens on December 22, 2017, a week after Star Wars: Episode VIII and the same day as The Croods 2, The Six Billion Dollar Man with Mark Wahlberg and an untitled PG-13 comedy from Warner Bros.