Veteran actor Paul Sorvino is fighting to reassure investors of his upcoming directorial debut The Trouble With Cali that he hasn't squandered their money.

The Goodfellas star raised $500,000 of his independent film's budget from Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania, after local officials agreed to enter into a partnership with him.

Sorvino then shot The Trouble With Cali in the Scranton area of the state in 2006 - but locals are now wondering whether they'll ever see a return on their investment.

Lackawanna County commissioner Corey O'Brien says, "If it's a good film, hopefully we'll receive a return on our investment. If it's a lousy film, we probably won't."

However, Sorvino insists his investors have nothing to worry about as he recently completed a "very rough cut" of his movie and has raised around $975,000 of its estimated $1.3 million budget, $175,000 of which is his own money.

He says, "I have never done anything that I've been in charge of that has failed. I don't intend to make this the first one. It's a wonderful movie and I can't wait to get it out."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)