Filmmaker Woody Allen has replaced French First Lady Carla Bruni with Marion Cotillard in his new film.
 
Allen had last year said that Bruni would be the "natural" choice to star in his forthcoming flick, set in France, describing her as "wonderful".

However, earlier this year rumour mills went into overdrive around Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy's marriage, which seemed to have left the Allen sour, reports express.co.uk.   

Carla Bruni is not a woman who earns her living as an actress. She is a First Lady. She could be taken away at any moment by other duties. I have to take account of the risks there could be and hiring her is far from certain, he said.   

The filming starts in July and the cast will also include Canadian star Rachel McAdams and American actor Owen Wilson.