Pitt Quits Hollywood Remake of Bbc Drama

Brad Pitt has walked out of the US remake of the drama State of Play, one of the most critically acclaimed British thrillers of recent years, because of "concerns over the script", it emerged yesterday.

The 43-year-old actor signed up to play Cal McCaffrey, a journalist whose investigation into a political researcher's death leads him to a tortuous conspiracy and back to an old friend.

Filming for Universal Pictures was supposed to begin last Thursday but Pitt is understood to have left the project, worried about the script. A strike by Hollywood writers means there is no way to change or rewrite material.

In a statement released yesterday, a Universal representative said: "We remain committed to this project and to the filmmakers, cast members, crew and others involved in making the movie."

If the studio cannot find a replacement it could bring a lawsuit against Pitt for failing to honor the deal.

The remake of the BBC mini-series, which was written by Paul Abbott, is being directed by Kevin Macdonald and also stars Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn. The film, which sees the action transplanted to the US from the original setting of London, is being made by the British-based production company Working Title. Speaking at a Universal event in London yesterday, Working Title's co-chairman, Tim Bevan, conceded that Pitt's departure had been a "nightmare". However, he hinted that another actor might already have agreed to fill his shoes.

The original State of Play, in which John Simm played McCaffrey, won widespread praise from critics.

Work on several other films - including Angels & Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code, and the new Johnny Depp film, Shantaram - has ground to a halt or been postponed because of the writers' strike.