Director Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming film about Liberace failed to get a theatrical release because movies studios thought the idea was “too gay.”

“Nobody would make it. We went to everybody in town,” Soderbergh told TheWrap on Friday, at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “We needed $5 million. Nobody would do it.”

“Behind the Candelabra” stars Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon and his lover, Scott Thorson. With the star power of Douglas, Damon and Soderbergh, one wonders why the film was never given a theatrical release.

“They said it was too gay. Everybody. This was after ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ by the way. Which is not as funny as this movie. I was stunned. It made no sense to any of us.”

Soderbergh, while not overly critical of the studios for rejecting the idea, found it strange that the studios were worried about finding an audience for the movie given the box office success of other gay-themed projects.

“They’re great and they’re really good at what they do, and ultimately I think more people will see it, and that’s all you care about,” Soderbergh said. “Studios were going, ‘We don’t know how to sell it. They were scared.'”

TheWrap also found in strange that Soderbergh was able to get a theatrical release for a film starring porn actress Sasha Grey, but couldn’t secure support for a movie with A-listers Damon and Douglas.

“Well, for a million-and-a-half bucks,” he said about getting studios to stand behind “Girlfriend Experience.”

Regardless of this controversy, the films stars are excited to be a part of this project.

Damon, who stars as Scott Thorson, Liberace’s young lover in ‘Behind the Candelabra,’ believes that Thorson’s love for Liberace was genuine.

“I think his love was genuine but I think it was complicated,” Damon said on Friday, according to Zap2it blog. “He was looking for a family and Lee gave that to him. They had a profound love for each other. It ended badly but there were a lot of wonderful moments and a lot of ups and downs… I don’t think Scott had an angle the whole time. He genuinely fell for him which was why he was hurt ultimately at the end.”

Liberace was a famous American pianist and vocalist with a career that spanned four decades. Liberace embraced a life of excess on and off the stage. According to Reuters, Liberace once wore a $300,000 white virgin fox coat that was lined with $100,000 worth of Austrian crystals.