Roland Emmerich’s latest movie, The Zone, has stopped production, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The director, whose trademark disaster movies usually command a Hollywood blockbuster budget of $100 million plus, was going to work with a more limited figure of $5 million for the found-footage sci-fi film about an alien invasion.

Rehearsals for The Zone were well underway, with actors Peter MacKenzie and Brandon Scott playing a journalist and a cameraman respectively.

No official reason has been given for the termination of the project. When questioned, the director’s camp replied that “this is not a project [Emmerich] is pursuing at this time.”

The project was due to start shooting next week for an April 2011 release.