Pitt leaves State of Play movie

Pitt was going to play journalist Cal McCaffrey

Actor Brad Pitt has pulled out of political thriller State of Play because of script concerns, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Universal confirmed the actor had left but it remained "committed to this project", the trade paper reported.

Pitt was due to appear alongside Dame Helen Mirren and Ed Norton as an investigative journalist in the movie, based on a BBC drama series.

The script cannot be worked on because of the writers' strike.

The film will be directed by Kevin Macdonald, who also directed The Last King of Scotland.

State of Play is about a team of journalists investigating the mysterious death of a political researcher.

The BBC TV original won a best actor Bafta for Bill Nighy, who played newspaper editor Cameron Foster, and further editing and sound honours.

Pitt was set to play Cal McCaffrey, portrayed by John Simm in the TV version.

Shameless writer Paul Abbott penned the original TV script but it has been adapted for the big screen by Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote Lions for Lambs, starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.