Possible Brad Pitt Replacement
Okay, that sounds misleading because honestly, who can replace Brad Pitt, right? But you know what I mean. Apparently Variety has reported that Universal Pictures spent the weekend wooing Russell Crowe in the hopes of getting him to agree to take on the role that was left open after Brad pulled out of State Of Play last week.
I actually hope that Russell Crowe accepts the role. Although I was looking forward to another Brad Pitt movie, I want Universal to find someone as a replacement as soon as possible. Why? Because the longer it takes for them to find someone, the longer it takes for the movie to start filming. At that point, the other actors may also have to bow out because of other contracted obligations and the studio could sue Brad for backing out.
I know that the disagreement was because of re-writes that happened after Brad agreed to the role and that apparently the changes in the script were drastic and the current writers’ strike means that no further changes can be made. I wish though, for the sake of curiosity, that I knew what the changes were that were so serious to make him change his mind. He’s not a brand new actor, he knows how Hollywood works, so whatever those changes were, they must have been really bad for him to back out.
(Source)
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11 opinions for Possible Brad Pitt Replacement
Rach
Nov 26, 2007 at 9:23 am
maybe he’s backed out because Angelina is pregnant again?? That’s what i’m hoping anyway hehe
irma
Nov 26, 2007 at 10:11 am
He backed out because of the script problem. Russel Crowe will be a good replacement but he needs to deal with his anger problem first, he is a good actor but Brad is much better actor & a good looking one.
I miss the whole Jolie-Pitt’s. They are probably busy preparing for Pax birthday on the 29th of this month.
God bless the Jolie-Pitt’s.
Belle
Nov 26, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Possible discussion point -
Is he helping highlight the important place of script writers?
Also, I think he’s right to be really careful about the detail of what role he plays.
…and Rach, I wondered about that too - he wants to support his lovely pregnant wife…?
Often in life I find that all the reasons you can think of are a factor when a decision is made.
I wonder if the scriptwriter’s dispute gets sorted quickly, if Brad would come back in on the project?
BlessBrangelina
Nov 26, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Hmmm!
I don’t think pregnancy was the problem. The filming could not have taken nine months…
Irma is right though, the script is the main issue here. I think Universal did fast one on him…he was involved with the film for 1.5 years. He brought a lot of people into it, he wouldn’t left it for the stated reason. I think Univ wanted him out for some reason and continued rewriting even though the original script was great.
Sherry
Nov 26, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I wouldn’t think pregnancy would make a difference either. They would probably both prefer to have him work through her pregnancy than right after a baby is born so I can’t see him dropping a movie for that - if Angie did a movie while pregnant with Shiloh, they’d likely both agree it would be better for him to go ahead.
It really sounds like unsacceptable script changes were made but I’m so curious to know the difference between the script he read and the one that was finally produced in the end to know what made him say “no thanks”.
BlessBrangelina
Nov 26, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Me too Sherry!
boogaloobaby
Nov 26, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I disagree with you irma: Russell Crowe is the better actor. Russell Crowe is a bloody acting genius! One of the best actors in the movie business that there is today! Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, etc. — none of those guys can hold a candle to Russell Crowe. And, his anger has nothing to do with his work as an actor. His anger has not been demonstrated “on the set,” only off of it, in his “personal” life.
boogaloobaby
Nov 26, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Let me try this again…will this avoid moderation:
I disagree with you irma: Russell Crowe is the better actor. Russell Crowe is an acting genius! One of the best actors in the movie business that there is today! Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, etc. — none of those guys can hold a candle to Russell Crowe. And, his anger has nothing to do with his work as an actor. His anger has not been demonstrated “on the set,” only off of it, in his “personal” life.
ligaya
Nov 27, 2007 at 12:16 am
Me three!
And I also thought about him maybe doing this to support the writers, but I don’t think so. I’m sure he supports the writers, but his office released some kind of statement saying that Brad wouldn’t throw away lightly something that he’s worked on for so long.
I really think the script had been changed too much from what he’d originally agreed to. That happens a lot in the industry. Brad doesn’t have a rep for being a prima donna. He’s no temperamental diva.
Apparently Universal didn’t want to problem-solve enough, leaving Brad no choice. Has Brad ever walked away from a committed project before? With the writers out, there’s no guarantee when Brad’s preferred re-write could have been done. And I guess the rest of the terrific cast (I so wanted to see this with Brad) all have time constraints and other commitments. Shooting is supposed to begin this month - immediately.
ligaya
Nov 27, 2007 at 12:28 am
E! News has an interesting report on the whole thing:
No Play Date for Pitt
by Josh Grossberg
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=1da2a191-e5df-4adb-896d-3bb89d2e0a5d#comments
Excerpt:
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.
irma
Nov 27, 2007 at 8:38 am
Whatever the reason for Brad pulling out, it must be a valid & good one. I miss them. Got to go fans, see you later after work. I will be working till 9pm today.
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