Brad Pitt to adopt Angelina Jolie's children

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Brad Pitt is seeking to become the adoptive father of Angelina Jolie's children, the actor's publicist announced Friday. <br/><br/>A legal petition seeking to change the names

Saturday, December 3rd 2005, 6:12 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Brad Pitt is seeking to become the adoptive father of Angelina Jolie's children, the actor's publicist announced Friday.

A legal petition seeking to change the names of the children to Zahara Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt was filed Friday in Los Angeles, publicist Cindy Guagenti said in a written statement to The Associated Press.

``We are confirming that Brad Pitt is in the process of becoming the adoptive father of both children,'' the statement said. ``No further comment is being made.''

Rumors of an off-screen relationship between the stars of ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' have been circulating for a year. Pitt accompanied Jolie to Ethiopia in July to pick up Zahara, now about 10 months old.

He and actress Jennifer Aniston announced their separation in January, and Aniston filed for divorce in March, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce became final in October.

Pitt, 41, has denied Jolie, 30, was behind the split.

Jolie, twice-divorce, had often talked of adopting a second child. In 2002, she adopted Maddox in Cambodia, where she filmed ``Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.'' The boy is now 4 years old.

As a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie, accompanied by Pitt, recently toured quake-devastated areas in Pakistan. She met with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and toured a town largely destroyed by the Oct. 8 earthquake that killed an estimated 86,000 people.