Joining Brad Pitt in leaving "State of Play" though for different reason, the 'Red Dragon' star might be replaced by 'Hollywoodland' actor.
- Dec 19, 2007
AceShowbiz - Having been left by Brad Pitt earlier, "State of Play" once again had to suffer a loss of another star cast members as Edward Norton dropped his involvement in the movie. According to reports, Norton backed out from the project because the production schedule of the Kevin Macdonald's film is clashing with his other project, "Leaves of Grass".
It was said that the co-star of Pitt in "Fight Club" chose to leave the drama thriller movie since he is one of the producers of "Leaves of Grass". He will produce the independent comedy film that is written and directed by Tim Blake Nelson along with his partner in Class 5 Films, Bill Migliore, and also with Nelson.
Further, it was also reported that Norton's decision to quit "State of Play" didn't cause displeasure for Universal Pictures. The situation was very different from the time when Pitt quit the movie because following his dropping out, the studio threatened to take legal action regarding the matter.
To replace Norton, allegedly Universal has been approaching Ben Affleck to portray Stephen Collins, a young fast-rising politician that is caught up in a murder conspiracy. Words are circulating that the studio and the director of "Gone Baby Gone" were in talk about the possibility.
Meanwhile, "State of Play", which was expected to start shooting from mid-November, has moved the production date to the first week of January. And, though Helen Mirren is still working out her shooting schedule with the studio because she has to star alongside Joe Pesci in the Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch", she is still listed as the cast member as the other stars, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman.
