Jason Bateman has just joined the cast of the Universal Pictures film State of Play. According to Variety, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton also star in the Kevin Macdonald-directed project.

The film is an adaptation of the British miniseries of the same name. The drama tells the story of a congressman (Norton) who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Bateman will play the reporter of a newspaper investigating the story, while Pitt will play a former campaign manager in charge of the investigation.

The film will go into production before the end of the year.

State of Play was released April 17th, 2009 and stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, Michael Berresse. The film is directed by Kevin Macdonald.