'Twilight' star Robert Pattinson has quit 'Mission: Blacklist', a thriller about the hunt for Saddam Hussein, due to scheduling problems.

The actor was set to play the lead role of a military interrogator Eric Maddox in the film, being financed by Code Entertainment. Maddox spearheaded Hussein's capture, reported TheWrap.

Pattinson has just finished shooting Anton Corbijn's 'Life' with Dane DeHaan which did not leave him with enough time to work on the indie project, a source told the website. The role of Maddox will now be recast, and the filmmakers hope to start production this year.

The Saddam Hussein project will be directed by Swedish filmmaker Jesper Ganslandt from a script by Erik Jendresen, Dylan Kussman and Trace Sheehan, who adapted Harper Collins' 2008 book 'Mission: Black List #1'.

Pattinson, meanwhile, is slated to hit the Cannes film festival red carpet for two of his films -- David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars' and David Michod's 'The Rover'.