A US film about a four-year-old girl's disappearance has had its UK release shelved because of similarities to the Madeleine McCann case.

Gone Baby Gone, the directorial debut of actor Ben Affleck, had been due to be released on 28 December.

Distributor Buena Vista International, however, has postponed it indefinitely.

Madeline O'Brien, who plays the missing girl in Gone Baby Gone, bears a close resemblance to Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal on 3 May.