Cate Blanchett. (AP Files)

Cate Blanchett is available for work next year - her latest movie project has been cancelled.

The actress' controversial new film Indian Summer stalled this week amid fears over the multi-million dollar budget.

The film was troubled from the start after the Indian government voiced concerns over the plot, which focused on Lady Edwina Mountbatten's alleged affair with the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Officials demanded copy approval of the script and eventually gave the film the green light, but the project continued to be plagued by money problems, with bosses at Universal reportedly fretting over the estimated $30-40 million (£20-26 million) costs.

Studio executives have now confirmed the project has been scrapped.

Director Joe Wright admits the wrangling with the Indian government effectively sealed the film's fate.

He tells Variety, "We were in between a rock and a hard place. The Indian government wanted us to make less of the love story while the studio wanted us to make more of the love story."