Joseph Gordon-Levitt Exits 'Django Unchained'

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a busy 2012 planned, but it won't include starring in Django Unchained.

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The 31-year-old had previously agreed to star in Quentin Tarantino's next film, about an ex-slave who heads back to a ranch to free his wife, but was unable to work out the timing.

"I've been in touch with Quentin about it, and it was so cool to trust me to do this little part in his movie," Gordon-Levitt told MTV News. "I would have loved, loved to have done it. He's one of my very favorite filmmakers, and he was really supportive of me directing and that meant the world to me."

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Already this year, Gordon-Levitt will appear in four films: The Dark Knight Rises, bike delivery thriller Premium Rush, sci-fi film Looper and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. He's also filming his directorial debut Don Jon's Addiction, in which he will also co-star, alongside Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore.

Tarantino won't be hurting for star power in his film, even without the two-time Golden Globe nominee. Leonardo DiCaprio features as the evil slave owner, Jamie Foxx as the freed slave and Christoph Waltz as the bounty hunter helping him with his quest. The film will also feature Sacha Baron Cohen, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell.