Now, thanks to Brad Pitt suddenly leaving State Of Play and Russell Crowe taking his place, production has been slightly delayed – and that delay has meant that Edward Norton has been forced to drop out as well. But, undeterred, the State Of Play team have laboured on and quickly signed up Ben Affleck to fill his shoes. And don't forget that State Of Play still hasn't started filming yet, so by the time it hits cinemas we can expect State Of Play's all-star line-up to include two Baldwin brothers, the girl from The Craft who wasn't Neve Campbell or the pretty one, a Chinese Highland Shrew and your Mum.

The now legitimately troubled movie adaptation of State Of Play seems to be working on some sort of confusing karmic points system at the moment. For example, first Brad Pitt left State Of Play in a fug of controversy, and he was eventually replaced with Russell Crowe, who is a much better actor, but a little bit funny-looking.

That left State Of Play – also slated to star Edward Norton and Helen Mirren – in a state of unbalance, since it was heavy on the funny-looking good actors but light on the wooden eye candy. However, Edward Norton has just stepped in to save the day because he's left State Of Play too, and been replaced with Ben Affleck. Thus, a wooden piece of eye candy has replaced the funny-looking good actor and, coupled with Crowe's funny-looking good actor replacing Pitt's wooden eye candy, State Of Play balance has been restored.

Let's just hope that Helen Mirren isn't about to leave State Of Play as well, because the way things are going she'll probably be replaced by Jessica Simpson, and that'll fuck everything up.

But back to Edward Norton. Why has he left State Of Play? Well, pleasingly it's for something a little more rational than not being allowed to make his character travel everywhere on a golden horse fully nude except for a giant Viking helmet – which is why we think Brad Pitt left. The Hollywood Reporter reports:

Russell Crowe was quickly recruited to replace Pitt in the film written by "Lions for Lambs" scribe Matthew Michael Carnahan. With Crowe on board, the film's production start date was moved from November to January. Because of the change in start date, Norton, who also is set to produce and star in the indie comedy "Leaves of Grass," found himself with a schedule conflict. So he asked Universal if he could be replaced so that he could fulfil his commitment to the Tim Blake Nelson-directed "Leaves."

That would normally heap trouble on an already-struggling State Of Play, but not this time. As we've said, Ben Affleck has quickly stepped in to fill Norton's role as a hard-ball politician caught up in a murder conspiracy. And since Ben Affleck's turn in last year's Hollywoodland won him awards, the State Of Play producers can at least be reassured that it's still in safe hands.

Plus the new State Of Play scene where the politician struts through his office counting how many women give him the glad-eye on his handheld clicker that he got free with some chavvy deodorant is going to just be wicked nang.

Read more:

'State' subs Affleck for Norton role – Hollywood Reporter

Although, to be be fair, that isn't because State Of Play is a world-class movie in the making; it's because Brad Pitt stropped off production recently, right before it was due to start filming. But now, with Universal planning to sue Brad Pitt for the walk-out, State Of Play needs a new leading man, and fast. Step forward Russell Crowe, who Universal has been desperately wooing all weekend. Of course, Russell Crowe is a notoriously safe pair of hands, and won't demand constant script changes like Brad Pitt reportedly did, apart from requesting that his character performs a 25-minute multi-stanza poem about the fickle nature of material success right in the middle of things.

And that 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts performs the State Of Play title music.

And that the whole thing gets called Russell Crowe's State Of Play and is set in prehistoric times, and that Edward Norton's character is replaced by an otter in a baseball cap.

So the fall-out to Brad Pitt leaving State Of Play has begun. To recap, Brad Pitt left State Of Play because he kept clashing with director Kevin McDonald over the quality of the script, something that couldn't be changed because of the continuing writers' strike. We're assuming that the changes Brad Pitt wanted included scenes of Brad Pitt riding along a deserted beach topless on a motorbike at sunset with the unmistakable sound of Whitesnake in the background, but we can't be sure of that, so don't quote us.

Anyway, by walking out of State Of Play, Brad Pitt has caused a right royal mess behind the scenes. Filming of State Of Play is ready to go, and if it doesn't get moving soon, then its star-flecked cast of Edward Norton, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams will be forced to abandon it too and the whole thing could go under.

So while Universal edges closer towards suing Brad Pitt – who, let's not forget, also walked out of production of The Fountain and constantly fought with the director of The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford – it's also busy trying to get Russell Crowe to jump into Brad Pitt's vacant spot.

Thanks to American Gangster being that rare occurrence – a recent Russell Crowe film that people want to watch – Russell Crowe is back in demand as an actor again. In March he begins filming Nottingham, the Ridley Scott-directed story of Robin Hood with the Sheriff Of Nottingham as the goodie, so if he agrees to fill in on State Of Play, filming will have to kick into gear pretty sharpish.

But this is all just speculation, because Russell Crowe hasn't agreed to be in State Of Play just yet. If negotiations fall through then Universal might also approach Johnny Depp or Tom Hanks, although these two actors are less desirable because they don't especially want the State Of Play lead to either assume an offputtingly unrealistic cockney accent or a mullety haircut that looks like it's made of plastic eels. So at this rate expect Brad Pitt's State Of Play role to be filled by man with the parrot from the Admiral Car Insurance adverts.

Read more:

Universal Seeks Crowe For Play – Variety 

So when Brad Pitt announced that he was going to star in a movie adaptation of State Of Play, the blisteringly well-received BBC thriller that made a star out of Bill Nighy and won a slate of awards, it looked like Brad Pitt had finally got it right – he was making a film that was serious enough for him not to be taken merely as eye candy but not so serious that its constant sermonising turned audiences away. Not that it matters now because Brad Pitt has walked away from State Of Play right before filming was supposed to start and the studio wants to sue him. But Brad Pitt will get the last laugh because he'll still get to show off his acting chops in the movie he's making instead – Mr Pretty's World Of Doe-Eyed Gazing.

Brad Pitt has often said he's envious of Leonardo DiCaprio's career, since DiCaprio ditched his teen heart-throb image and now makes serious-minded popular movies like The Departed and Blood Diamond while Brad Pitt is content to gurn through smug nonsense like Ocean's Thirteen while occasionally making serious-minded Oscar-bait movies like Babel and The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford – movies that hardly anyone wanted to see.

But that seems to be changing a little – recently Brad Pitt has been putting his name to everything from Coen Brothers movies to F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptations to films about Richard Nixon. Whether or not anyone will go and see these films is another matter, but at least we know that nobody is going to see Brad Pitt in the Hollywood remake of State Of Play – because Brad Pitt isn't going to be in State Of Play any more.

Based on the BBC miniseries about journalists investigating a crooked politician – that won three Baftas, a Royal Television Society award, a Banff television festival award, a Broadcasting Press Guild award, a Cologne Conference award, a Directors Guild of Great Britain award, an Edgar Award and a Monte Carlo TV Festival award – the Hollywood remake of State Of Play is to star Edward Norton and Helen Mirren. But not Brad Pitt any more, because he's decided at the last minute that he didn't like the script. State Of Play's studio Universal has put out the following statement:

"Brad Pitt has left the Universal Pictures production of 'State of Play.' 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."

Brad Pitt's walk-out follows a couple of weeks of meetings with director Kevin McDonald over the quality of the script. And since the writers' strike forbids making any last-minute script-changes – like adding more scenes where Brad Pitt showers or rescues puppies from burning trees while everyone watching weeps with undying gratitude – Brad Pitt has left.

So while Universal toys with the idea of suing Brad Pitt for backing out of State Of Play, it's also on the fast-track to look for a replacement. Johnny Depp's name has been mentioned, as has Russell Crowe's, and yet John Simm – the actor who made Brad Pitt's role his own in the original miniseries – scandalously doesn't seem to have been given a second thought.

But perhaps we're being too harsh. Brad Pitt has been around for long enough to know what's good and what's bad, and maybe the script for State Of Play really was beyond repair. After all, you don't get to make flicks like Troy without learning a thing or two about quality, do you?