Clooney pulls out of 'White Jazz'

George Clooney has pulled out of new movie White Jazz days after Chris Pine quit to play Captain Kirk in the forthcoming Star Trek film.

Pine turned down the role of hitman Junior Stemmons in director Joe Carnahan's movie, which is based on the novel by James Ellroy.

Clooney's producing partner Grant Heslov blamed scheduling problems on the star's decision to follow Pine, but the LA Times speculated that it may have been a result of the disappointing performance of his latest project Michael Clayton.

The newspaper commented: "Well-connected Hollywood wags think that the faltering fortunes of Michael Clayton might have had a little to do with Clooney getting cold feet about jumping into a period noir piece, the last few of which - Hollywoodland and Black Dahlia - have bombed at the box office."

Carnahan wrote on his blog that he planned a "full court press" to find a replacement for Clooney, adding: "I want this movie really, really bad. BAD. And I'm willing to go to the ends of the earth to pull it off."