Brad Pitt faces lawsuit after pulling out of film

Brad Pitt is at the center of a Hollywood row after reportedly holding back shooting of his new film - and then walking away from it altogether.

The actor was reportedly unhappy the script for his new film did not follow his vision and has left fellow stars such as Helen Mirren in limbo.

He could now even be sued by the Hollywood studio behind the production, according to US reports.

Pitt had been the first lead cast for the cinema remake of British hit TV series State of Play and was one of the driving forces behind the project.

It quickly became one of the biggest films in production in Hollywood, with the buzz attracting heavyweight talent such as Edward Norton, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams.

But, according to Variety, Pitt was unhappy with a script re-write and according to reports had weeks of meetings with Oscar-winning director Kevin MacDonald over his vision for the film.

Now Universal Studios say Pitt has left the project altogether. And, according to the industry magazine, they could have the option to sue him if they fail to find a suitable replacement in time for the project to go ahead as it is.

The film has already missed its scheduled date to begin production, November 15. Now bosses fear other stars may have to pull out, because of tight schedule windows, if they do not find a replacement in time.

Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe are said to be among those considered to take on the role of a journalist who leads a newspaper's investigation into the murder of a politician.

According to Variety, the film's script suffered a number of rewrites in the 16 months since it was first conceived, while Pitt worked on a number of other projects.

Pitt reportedly wanted to wait until the current writer's strike ended to have another rewrite that brought the film closer to its original direction.

But the studio are said to be happier with the current version and reportedly wanted Pitt to go ahead with shooting so it could be released next year.

Pitt's camp disputes that he violated a deal, that he ever approved a final script, or that he even wanted to drop out of the film, reported Variety.