It’s getting to the point where having Brad Pitt attached to a movie is almost as much a guarantee that production will be delayed as it is a guarantee of success. While Pitt hasn’t put out many movies that haven’t performed well at the box office, the actor has backed out of key roles (The Fountain) or delayed filming on others while he made up his mind about staying in the picture (Mr & Mrs Smith). With his latest project, State of Play, the actor has accomplished both.

Variety reports that Pitt has dropped out of State of Play after being responsible for the picture’s filming being delayed. The project should have started shooting November 15th but Pitt held up the production through meetings with the director. The current cast includes Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn, but Pitt was the lead, leaving the film in an uncertain state with his departure.

The benefit for the production is that lots of major stars are now available due to their own projects being held up by the writer’s strike, but the concern is that, if filming doesn’t begin by the end of November, other actors may depart as well. If that happens, it’s likely Universal, the studio behind the film, could sue Pitt for breaking the pay or play deal.

There’s not been any word as to why Pitt left the film, but this seems like bad form. The one comment that has been made is that the issue had nothing to do with the script, but that came from the studio, which immediately makes me wonder if it had something to do with the script, which couldn’t be retooled due to the strike. That’s a pretty hefty cast, however, many of whom are pretty picky about the roles they play; in fact, Penn and Norton alone are notorious for their careful selections, where Pitt is less so. It’ll be interesting to see where this leads – whether it spells success for another actor or leads to a drawn out courtroom battle between Pitt and the studio.