Hollywood star Brad Pitt is trying to get the courts to intervene in his ongoing custody battle with his ex Angelina Jolie as it continues to escalate. A hearing is scheduled to take place today, with one of the main points of discussion set to be Pitt’s desire for equal joint custody.

“Brad is asking for 50/50 custody to be put in place and stay in place,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “Angelina wants to be fair when it comes to custody. She is very structured with the children. Brad has high hopes [they can] try to make it work because of the importance of co-parenting.”

The custody battle between Pitt and Jolie over their six children has been ongoing ever since they split in 2016. While they were initially able to reach a custody agreement in November of 2018, but this went off the rails when the former couple could not reach an accord in regards to the private judge they’d sought to adjudicate in their divorce case.

“Brad, for the most part, has been respectful of Angelina’s parenting,” the source explained. “While he doesn’t agree with everything, he knows she loves the kids and wants the best for them. He also knows his love and presence are needed.”

The insider went on to say that Pitt has “done everything he can to avoid a court situation” but feels he has been “left with no other choice,” if he wants to be allowed more time with his children.

“It’s important to Brad that the kids don’t worry about their parent’s current situation and that they don’t feel stuck in the middle in any way,” the source added. “This is a challenge because of their age, but he’s doing what he can.”

“Brad has avoided this court scenario for years, and the last thing he would ever want is for this to have a negative outcome for everyone,” the insider said. “This is about getting his time with the children.”

Another source spoke out to say that, “No one wants this case over more than Angelina.”

Though it’s previously been reported that Jolie has been in control of the scheduling arrangements when it comes to Pitt’s custody and visitation time, it has since been confirmed that neither one of them has been in control of their children’s schedules in the past four years. Instead, the court has handled all scheduling in regards to the children throughout the entire court battle.