Oscar-winning US director Steven Spielberg has dropped plans to remake the Hollywood classic Harvey after failing to find the right star to take on the lead role made famous by James Stewart.

Initially, Spielberg had wanted Tom Hanks to take on the role of the gentle, mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd, who just happens to say his best friend is an invisible giant rabbit. But the industry daily Variety said that "Hanks was not that enthusiastic about the prospect of stepping into the legendary Stewart's footsteps."

Spielberg then sought to persuade Robert Downey Jr to take the role, and during months of negotiations the actor demanded that the script should be modified. In the end, though, the two men were out of creative sync.

One of the most powerful directors in Hollywood, Spielberg, 62, is in post-production for his adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn due to hit the screens in late 2011.