Brad Pitt Undergoes Change of Heart

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday August 30, 2002 01:00 AM EDT

Despite previous news of his casting, Brad Pitt looks to be backing out of director Darren Aronofsky's post-modern sci-fi epic "The Fountain" in favor of a movie called "Troy," an update of Homer's "The Iliad, " reports Variety.

The trade paper says that the reason for the hunk's change of heart is his desire to play Achilles in the latter project, which is to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen ("Air Force One").

Pitt, 38, also apparently expressed concerns about the complexity of the "Fountain" script, and his pulling out will put that project in jeopardy with its studio, Variety reports. ("The Fountain" already faced one hurdle, when pre-production was halted while costar Cate Blanchett had her baby.)

As for "Troy," it is described by Variety as the psychological journey of a contemporary man (to be played by Pitt) who journeys to both 500 years in the past and 500 years in the future. Over the span of those 1,000 years, the themes of love, death and immortality are explored.

No start date has been reported.