State of affairs

London, Nov. 22: Brad Pitt has pulled out of a starring role in the Hollywood remake of State of Play, the BBC political drama.

The actor withdrew from the film because of script concerns, according to the Hollywood Reporter showbusiness newspaper. The script — which has reportedly been significantly altered since Pitt signed up for the project — cannot be rewritten now because of the ongoing writers strike in the United States.

Universal Pictures now faces a race against time to fill Pitt’s role. Filming was due to have begun last week, but was delayed amid the havoc caused by the strike.

State of Play tells the story of a newspaper’s investigation into the murder of a young woman, as the trail leads to the office a senior politician. The BBC series was set in Westminster, but the US remake will be based in Washington.

Pitt was due to have played the chief reporter Cal McCaffrey, who was played by John Simm in the 2003 BBC series.

Edward Norton and Helen Mirren are among the other Hollywood A-listers who have signed up for the remake.

Universal has said it remains “committed to the project”, despite Pitt’s departure. The film is being directed by Kevin Macdonald, who also directed The Last King of Scotland. Paul Abbott’s original State of Play script was rewritten by Matthew Michael Carnahan for the big screen, but has been altered further by other writers in recent months, according to reports.