[Blarg]

Herzog hasn't made a major theatrical release in America since Nosferatu, in 1979. He's very highly regarded, but not someone who has ever made making a buck the focus of his career. This is going to make Hollywood types, who overwhelmingly simply do what has been done before with people who have done it before, reluctant to spend much money on screens before they know they're working on close to a sure thing.

I don't know if it matters that the main character is not American, but rather a recent German immigrant, but it sure doesn't help.