Still... I’d love to sort this out... and I hope for the best, for some sort of reprieve. I mean, Pitt’s agent claims he’s still in, and that all of this is premature. I guess all that smoke has nothing to do with a fire... right?

UPDATE!!

Zoriana Kit over at The Hollywood Reporter weighed in with a very good piece, and I thought I'd toss it into the mix. We're all hearing the same basic thing, filtered through various people's personal feelings, and I think we're starting to get a good picture of what's going on now.

The Vine: 'Fountain' pen is Pitt's peeve

by Zorianna Kit Aug. 30, 2002 HollywoodReporter.com

Hollywood has been buzzing all week about the rumor that Brad Pitt is itching to pull out of Warner Bros. Pictures' sci-fi pic "The Fountain." All involved insist the actor hasn't decamped, but sources close to the production are claiming that Pitt disliked the script's latest draft, for which preproduction has already begun as the clock ticks down on an October start date in Australia. Cate Blanchett and Ellen Burstyn are already in place, and the studio is said to have rented Pitt a beachfront mansion to house the actor during the shoot. There has even been talk that Warners could insist Pitt pay back the $18 million already invested in the project as an exit fee, though his reps deny that conversation has taken place.

While Warners has been trying to keep Pitt aboard, "Fountain" helmer Darren Aronofsky, who signed with CAA last month, has been scrambling to find a possible replacement, turning to his old agents at ICM - the commissioning agents on the film - for help in assessing Mel Gibson's availability. (Gibson was unavailable.) But all could still end well: To keep its options open, the studio is believed to have made an offer to Russell Crowe to step into "Fountain," while George Clooney's name also has been mentioned as a possibility. Pitt is unlikely to become persona non grata at Warners, where he and producer Brad Grey have a deal.

In fact, a "Fountain"-less Pitt could end up playing Achilles in the Wolfgang Petersen-directed "Troy" -- that possibility already has actors like Eric Bana interested in playing opposite him as Hector. And Pitt would likely receive far more than his $2 million "Fountain" tab to attack Troy.

Wow. Again. Wow. I hope the end of this long holiday weekend brings some sort of resolution for Aronofsky, and I still remain firm in my passion for the film. I hope Warner Bros. does the right thing and moves forward, and that the right actor ends up onboard. This could still be something great, and it's important not to give up on it yet.

"Moriarty" out.