The Love, Actually moviemaker had been tapped to write the story about brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice and their rise to fame, but Curtis has now exited the project because he found their tale too tragic.

Curtis tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "I was going to write a musical of the Bee Gees, but too many of them have died and it got really sad. It was going to be with Steven Spielberg."

Maurice died in 2003, aged 53, and Robin died in 2012, aged 62.

It is not known who will replace Curtis. Remaining Bee Gees star Barry has signed on as producer.