Brad Pitt has put Universal in a state of angst.

The actor has pulled out of studio’s State of Play on the eve of principal photography, sending Universal scrambling for a suitable replacement or else risk shutting down the highly anticipated thriller.

“Brad Pitt has left the Universal Pictures production of State of Play,” Universal said in a statement Monday.

“We remain committed to this project and to the filmmakers, cast members, crew and others who are also involved in making the movie. We reserve all rights in this matter.”

While there was no specific reason cited for Pitt’s departure, the trades claimed the 43-year-old actor had issues with the script.

State of Play, a political conspiracy/murder whodunit based on the same-named BBC miniseries, would have reunited Pitt with his Fight Club sparring mate, Edward Norton, and a starry cast.

Now, the studio is reportedly in last-ditch talks with Russell Crowe to fill the open slot, but that’s no sure thing. Crowe is expected to start filming the Ridley Scott-helmed drama Nottingham in March and would have little preparation time for Play.

Pitt was supposed to play Cal McCaffrey, a successful journalist whose investigation of a murder begins to unravel a plot involving his friend, a famous congressman with whom he worked on past campaigns.

Per the trades, Pitt had liked the first draft, adapted by scribe Matthew Michael Carnahan from the British original by Paul Abbott. But the actor soured on subsequent rewrites.

Because the current writers’ strike has made it impossible for any new versions of the screenplay, Pitt balked when the studio tried to get cameras rolling on Nov. 15. Universal was hoping to have the film wrapped before another potential Hollywood labor dispute—the Screen Actors Guild could go on strike in June, shutting down any projects.

According to Variety, Universal has hinted it may sue Pitt for backing out of a pay-or-play commitment, which would allow the studio to recoup millions in salary it would otherwise be forced to pay him regardless of whether or not he worked on the movie.

Pitt’s camp, however, has denied the actor breached his deal and that Pitt never approved a final script. Variety reports that Pitt was loath to leave a project that he helped shepherd for 16 months.

Should Universal fail to secure Crowe, the studio could still woo Tom Hanks or Johnny Depp. Their respective films, The Da Vinci Code prequel Angels & Demons and Shantaram, have been indefinitely postponed, among the first big-screen casualties of the writers’ strike.

But if the studio can’t find snag an A-lister quick, it could be forced to pull the plug on Play, because the rest of the cast—Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn—have various other commitments. Chief among them is Mirren, who is due to start filming Love Ranch for director (and husband) Taylor Hackford early next year.

In the meantime, Pitt’s got plenty of movies in the pipeline.

After finishing up work on the new Coen brothers CIA comedy Burn After Reading, the Hollywood hunk is attached to headline Chad Schmidt, a send-up of his own megacelebrity status about an aspiring actor trying to make it only to find he’s a dead ringer for—yes—Brad Pitt.

He is also planning to team up with Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Annette Bening and Sharon Stone in Ryan Murphy’s Watergate-era political drama, Dirty Tricks. Finally, he’s set to join forces again with his Se7en director David Fincher for the fantasy film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on the story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, due in theaters November 2008.

Source: eonline.com

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