Russell Crowe is reportedly considering taking over directorial responsibilities on the troubled Australian film "Eucalyptus" a week after Fox Searchlight Pictures put it on hold, citing script concerns.

The "Gladiator" star has recently been spotted conducting technical surveys of possible locations with the project's director of photography Mandy Walker near the New South Wales town of Bellingen, reported the Internet Media Database.

"An actor on a technical survey doesn't happen, nor is it something that you'd expect an executive producer to be doing," a source was quoted as saying.

Despite Crowe's appearance, movie experts predict that filming won't start until later in the year - and the Oscar-winner will be fortunate to retain his technical crew.

In "Eucalyptus", Crowe was set to appear alongside Nicole Kidman in the big screen adaptation of Murray Bail's novel.

According to insiders, it was Crowe's ego clashes with director-cum-writer Jocelyn Moorhouse that caused the film to fall apart.