Ben Affleck's feature film directorial debut has been shelved indefinitely in the U.K. for fear the movie's plot will upset the family of missing British girl Madeleine McCann.

The four-year-old was abducted from a hotel room in Portugal in May (07) - while her parents dined nearby.

Affleck's film, which was scheduled for a Christmas (07) release, features a similar storyline - about a missing four-year-old girl.

Ironically, the abducted youth in the film is also a Brit called Madeleine (O'Brien), who bears a physical resemblance to McCann.

A spokesman for the film's British distributors, Miramax Films, says, "We are sensitive to the depth of feeling surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

"We have been closely following the case and have decided to delay the release of the film in the U.K."

No new release date has been announced. Gone Baby Gone's scheduled gala screening at the upcoming London Film Festival, which was to have been attended by Affleck, has also been scrapped.

Affleck addressed the issue at the Deauville Film Festival in France last week (ends07Sep07), stating, "We are acutely aware of the situation. We have a greater concern for that than the release of our film, which is just a commercial matter, whereas this is a matter of life or death."

 

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