Rewrites and Brad Pitt’s withdrawl are causing timing issues



Ben Affleck is believed to be the latest addition to the swiftly changing cast of the political drama ‘State of Play’. According to Variety Magazine, Affleck will take over for Edward Norton as a politician embroiled in a murder, in this adaptation of Paul Abbott’s BBC drama.
Norton has been forced to withdraw from the movie due to a scheduling conflict, while his Fight Club co-star Brad Pitt has already left the project.
Pitt’s departure last month had jeopardised the project in light of the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike. Speculation is that Pitt had grown frustrated with multiple rewrites, which conflicted with his initial vision for the adaptation.
His departure caused a delay in filming, leading to a clash with Norton’s upcoming movie ‘Leaves of Grass’ causing his withdrawal and the reported casting of Affleck.
Russell Crowe stepped in to replace Pitt earlier this month as the journalist investigating the scandal, reprising the original role played by British actor John Simm in the acclaimed BBC series, for which Bill Nighy earned a best actor Bafta.
While it is unclear whether Universal studios are going to take legal action against Pitt for withdrawing from the film, but Variety claimed Crowe was their first choice as a replacement. In any case this movie will still have an allstar cast when all is said and done.
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Ben Affleck Brad Pitt Edward Norton Russell Crowe
