Ang Lee has officially backed out of directing the upcoming Tyrant pilot for FX. The political drama created by Homeland’s Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff and Six Feet Under’s Craig Wright centers around an American family in the Middle East and would have been Lee's first project since winning the Best Director Oscar for Life Of Pi and his first foray into the world of television, but, oh well. Lee’s official statement calls the show “one of the most brilliant ideas for a series that I’ve seen,” but explains that “after spending over four years making and promoting Life Of Pi, I have recently realized that I need some rest.” It’s too bad as Lee probably would have gone on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Directing while the show was snubbed for Outstanding Drama. [via Deadline]