January 07, 2009

Exclusive: 'Twilight' Star Robert Pattinson Drops Out Of 'Parts Per Billion'

By Larry Carroll (MTV.com)

In the massive wake surrounding the record-breaking box office of Twilight, Robert Pattinson mania has swept through Hollywood and made the charismatic Brit one of its most in-demand young actors. His busy schedule has put him on magazine covers and had him touring all over the world and making public appearances to rioting crowds.

Now, however, Twilighters have one less place where they'll be able to find their beloved RPattz: on the set of his next movie.

MTV News has exclusively confirmed that Pattinson is dropping out of Parts per Billion, the eagerly anticipated indie film he was scheduled to begin shooting in Los Angeles this month. Although co-star/producer Rosario Dawson had expressed enthusiasm about working with the Twilight heartthrob as recently as December 16, a representative for Pattinson confirmed that he is no longer involved.

"What you heard is correct," the 22-year-old star's agent, Nicholas Frenkel, replied to an MTV News query Tuesday (January 6). "Unfortunately, the prep time and production schedule on New Moon haven't left enough time for Robert to work on Parts per Billion in the first quarter of this year."

The news is sure to sadden Pattinson's army of fans, who have been tracking the development of the film for months and were eagerly anticipating his reportedly steamy love scenes to be shot with actress Olivia Thirlby (Juno). The ensemble film, which tells the story of several different lives being impacted by the same catastrophic event, will now need to quickly recast the role if shooting is to remain on schedule.

Pattinson's fans might also be interested that his rep cited the pending New Moon shoot as the actor's reason for having to leave Billion. With that much-anticipated Twilight sequel not scheduled to get cameras rolling until March, it now seems highly unlikely that RPattz will be able to squeeze in a movie before he returns to the role of Edward Cullen - leaving his fans with only Little Ashes and How to Be in the can. Pattinson shot both films before his Twilight breakthrough.