Brad Pitt becomes dad to Angelina Jolie's kids

Actor Brad Pitt is seeking to becoming the adoptive father of Angelina Jolie's children, says Pitt's publicist.

Publicist Cindy Guagenti said in a statement a legal petition has been filed in Los Angeles to change the names of the children to Zahara Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt.

The superstar actors have been romantically linked since the filming of the assassin caper film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Photos have been published since then of the actors taking a vacation in Africa and walking around Jolie's British estate.

Most recently, the two toured quake-devastated areas in Pakistan. Jolie is the goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

The 30-year-old actress adopted Maddox, 4, from Cambodia and recently took in 10-month-old Zahara from Ethiopia. Pitt accompanied &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/361/16020_Jolie.html' target=_blank>Jolie on her mission to Ethiopia, reports CBC New Brunswick.

Life & Style magazine said Pitt, 41, has filed to become the legal adopted father of Jolie's two children, Maddox, 4, and Zahara, 10 months. They will go by the last name of Jolie-Pitt when the legal steps are completed, the magazine said, quoting a representative for Pitt.

"The ink isn't even dry on the adoption papers, and Brad is literally jumping for joy," the magazine quoted an unnamed "insider" as saying. "He's calling friends and telling them the great news."

Meanwhile, In Touch magazine reported that the couple is expected to marry soon and have already drawn up a prenuptial agreement, primarily to benefit the two children.

Pitt's divorce from actress Jennifer Aniston, 36, was completed in October after 4 1/2 years of marriage. Jolie will also change her last name to Jolie-Pitt after the marriage, the magazine said.