A judge has granted a request by Angelina Jolie to change the names of her two children to reflect that Brad Pitt intends to become their adoptive father.
"The court granted the name change," lawyer Evan Spiegel, who represents Jolie, told reporters outside court Thursday in Santa Monica, Calif. He did not take questions.
Neither Jolie nor Pitt, who co-starred in the film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," attended the hearing.
The names of the children will become Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt. Zahara celebrated her first birthday on Jan. 8. Maddox, a boy, is 4.
Superior Court Judge Linda Lefkowitz approved the motion during a closed hearing about a month after lawyers for the 30-year-old actress filed the paperwork.
Pitt's publicist, Cindy Guagenti, said on Jan. 11 that Jolie is pregnant with Pitt's child.