Crowe steps in to "Play" after Pitt's exit

Russell Crowe is in final negotiations to replace Brad Pitt in "State of Play," saving Universal and Working Title's delayed political thriller from shutting down.

Pitt pulled out of the movie last week, citing script concerns that made him uneasy about toplining the picture. That brought him to loggerheads with the studio, which was adamant about going ahead with the script they had. Even meetings with the movie's director, Kevin Macdonald, proved fruitless.

Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland") spent the weekend in Australia wooing Crowe, who had to see if "Play" could fit into his schedule; Crowe is scheduled to shoot Universal's "Nottingham," the Ridley Scott-directed reimagining of the Robin Hood story.

In "State of Play," an adaptation of a British miniseries, Crowe will star alongside Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn. He will play a political consultant-turned-journalist who heads a newspaper's murder investigation involving a fast-rising politician (Norton).

Crowe has turned into something of a favorite son for Universal, for whom he stars in "American Gangster," which has grossed more than $115.5 million to date. He also toplined "Cinderella Man" and "A Beautiful Mind" for the studio.