Worlds collide in ‘State of Play’

Movie: "State of Play"

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels, Harry Lennix, Viola Davis

Director: Kevin Macdonald

The story: The worlds of politics, journalism and big business collide when a rising-star politician's researcher turns up dead, triggering a press inquiry that leads to more skulldiggery -- and murder.

The buzz: This adaptation of an acclaimed BBC miniseries follows the same small-to-big-screen path "Traffic" took, but a few roadblocks appeared along the way -- as when original leading man Brad Pitt backed out at the last minute, short-circuiting a planned reunion with his "Fight Club" co-star Edward Norton. (Crowe replaced Pitt; Affleck replaced Norton, who departed the project due to previous commitments.) But "State of Play's" shift from London to Washington, D.C., shouldn't faze director Macdonald, who's filmed everywhere from Uganda ("The Last King of Scotland") to Peru ("Touching the Void").