Los Angeles - Daniel Craig has dropped out of The Whole Truth.
The Skyfall actor had been scheduled to begin shooting the courtroom drama with Renee Zellweger in Boston next week, but has departed the project abruptly, though no reason has been given for his decision.
(Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig attend The Opportunity Network's seventh annual Night of Opportunity gala. AP)
According to The Boston Globe newspaper, the actor - who is married to Rachel Weisz - had been spotted in the city at the weekend and was last month seen at Suffolk County Superior Court doing research for the role.
Production has now been halted on the film and the start date is likely to be postponed for three weeks while producers and director Courtney Hunt begin searching for a new male lead.
Zellweger and Gabriel Basso remain locked into the project, but according to reports, other actors such as Danny Huston now have their negotiations in limbo while filmmakers try to fix the situation.
The plot for the movie - which has been written by Nicholas Kazan - has been kept under wraps.
Craig appears to have a fairly free schedule until October, when he will reprise his role as James Bond for the fourth time for the as-yet untitled next installment in the famous spy franchise.