Brad Pitt attends London premiere of superhero film

Hollywood star Brad Pitt attends the London premiere of "Kick-Ass" in Leicester Square on March 22. The tongue-in-cheek film tells the story of a nerdy teenager who wants to be a superhero.[Agencies]

LONDON  – Hollywood star Brad Pitt delighted fans as he walked the red carpet for the London premiere of "Kick-Ass" -- a tongue-in-cheek superhero film.

Pitt -- who is one of the film's producers -- signed autographs for fans before heading into the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square on Monday evening.

His partner Angelina Jolie, currently shooting a film in Venice with actor Johnny Depp, did not attend the event.

"Kick-Ass", based on a comic book of the same name, tells the story of a nerdy, crime-fighting teenager played by Aaron Johnson, who recently took on the role of John Lennon in "Nowhere Boy".

He is joined by three other would-be heroes, including an 11-year-old girl, played by Chloe Moretz, and her father, played by Nicolas Cage.

"Kick-Ass", which has a 15 rating, has come under fire for its violent scenes involving the young girl.

"Scenes of hilariously overstated violence perpetrated by an 11-year-old girl doubtless will discomfort many and incense quite a few," film industry bible Variety said in its review of the film.

Asked about the criticism at the premiere, 13-year-old Moretz defended her role, saying: "I'm not up for violence but just fun."

She added: "My mum and dad read the script first before I did so they knew exactly what was in it."