Inferno director relieved to be moving on without lohan

The director of the upcoming Linda Lovelace biopic feels relieved after axing troubled actress Lindsay Lohan from the project - because the production can now move forward without "any distractions".

Moviemaker Matthew Wilder cast the Mean Girls star to play the porn legend in Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story, and stood by the actress as she was jailed for breaching her probation earlier this year (10).

However, the movie stalled once again in November (10) when Lohan was ordered to return to rehab until early 2011, and Wilder was forced to drop her from the project because of complications with insurance.

And Wilder admits he's glad he no longer has to deal with the scandal surrounding the star.

He says, "I feel like 16 tons of weight are off my mind not having to deal with the Lindsay Lohan situation.

"We have not heard anything from Lindsay and her camp recently but we wish her and them well. I still think she has great talent and if she respects those gifts then she will go on to show people what she is capable of doing.

"We're scheduled to start filming in February now and are really looking forward to moving forward without any distractions."

Watchmen star Malin Akerman has been hired as Lohan's replacement.