Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut flops

American actress Scarlett Johansson's first try at being a director has ended in a flop movie.

Johansson, 24, helmed a segment for the upcoming movie New York, I Love You, a series of intertwined love stories shot by several auteurs, including Brett Ratner and Natalie Portman.

But unfortunately for Johansson, her segment, starring Kevin Bacon and shot in black and white, was deemed "unwatchable," sources said.

"It was really bad, so it was cut," the New York Post quoted an as saying.

But the film's producer, Emmanuel Benbihy, has revealed that Johansson's bit ended up in the scrap heap not because it was bad.

"The story did not specifically involve an interpersonal relationship, and it was conceptualised to be filmed in black and white -- both of which were extreme departures from the other films," he said.

"Scarlett presented me with an extremely compelling, albeit unconventional, narrative that appeared as though it would not necessarily conform to the overall approach of the entire collective . . . However, I was very much moved by her vision and I did not want to pass on the opportunity to help her develop it. All that matters to me is the genuine movie language of the author.

"Scarlett and I nonetheless agreed that a final determination of its appropriateness in the context of the other contributions and the overall story would be best made in the editorial process. And after months of editing . . . I had to admit that there were editorial decisions to be made in the interest of serving the overall narrative and composition that resulted in previously filmed scenes and footage not getting used," Benbihy added.