Thompson on Hollywood

Jolie & Pitt Take Turns, Which Will Happen First? Gray Man, Slave, Cleopatra, Maleficent, Salt 2

Can Hollywood stop waiting for Brad Pitt? The actor has had two projects announced so far this week. Luckily he'll only be acting in one of them. Scheduling would be tricky either way, since in-demand Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie don't work simultaneously. Jolie has Salt 2, Maleficent and Cleopatra in the pipelines, while Pitt is currently filming Marc Forster's World War Z. Pitt is now in talks to star in The Gray Man, based on Adam Cozad's script (on 2010 Black List), which is an adaptation of Mark Greaney's novel. James Gray (the man behind Joaquin Phoenix starrers We Own the Night and Two Lovers) will direct for New Regency (which was behind Pitt's Fight Club and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Pitt would play a burned assassin on the run.

By Sophia Savage
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August 16, 2011 8:29 AM
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Dangerous Method's S&M, Jolie's Blood & Honey, Soderbergh Killing Oscar Winners & More from EW

We culled the best soundbites from EW's Fall Movie Preview for your pleasure below, from Brad Pitt's struggle to get Moneyball made and Steven Soderbergh killing off Oscar-winners in Contagion to what Mickey Rourke has in common with the animals in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo.

By Sophia Savage
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August 15, 2011 8:10 AM
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Soderbergh's Tyranny of Narrative, Haywire at SDCC, Can Carano Hold a Candle to Action Star Jolie?

Steven Soderbergh presented footage from Haywire at Comic-Con. It was well-received. In ThePlaylist's interview with the director, he admits they weren't sure if Comic-Con was the right fit for the film, but "ultimately we decided, yeah, this is our take on the action film and we should show it off.” It was a good call, because the movie features an ass-kicking (and hot) female MMA champion, Gina Carano, muscle-boy Channing Tatum and newfound heartthrob and serious thesp Michael Fassbender (Carano and Tatum joined Soderbergh on stage for the panel). Why wouldn't it play well at Comic-Con?

By Sophia Savage
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July 26, 2011 5:45 AM
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This is What Money Looks Like: Hollywood's Highest Paid Actresses...Is There A Magic Formula?

Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker lead the pack of women racking in the dough Hollywood-style. Gender-transcending movie star Jolie is no surprise (she would easily double her earnings if she said yes to every project she was offered), while Parker's success is due mostly to the Sex and the City franchise and her perfume line. The rest of the top ten: Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon at $28 million each, Julia Roberts and Kristen Stewart at $20 million, Katherine Heigl ($19 million), Cameron Diaz ($18 million), Sandra Bullock ($15 million) and Meryl Streep ($10 million).

By Sophia Savage
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July 7, 2011 6:36 AM
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Oscar Watch: Skin I Live In Gets October Date; Carnage Goes to November, Holiday Sked Shapes Up

The earlier a high-prestige art house movie opens in the fall, the less likely that its distributor harbors serious Oscar hopes for it. In other words, if Sony Pictures Classics moves Pedro Almodovar's retitled Skin I Live In from November to October, and slates Roman Polanski's Carnage on November 18, it means the latter is being given the Oscar advantage. Almodovar's kinky thriller starring Antonio Banderas met a mixed reception in Cannes. "This is not a move," asserts SPC co-president Michael Barker. "We never set the date until now. We were always going in the Fall. It is a great date."

By Anne Thompson
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June 27, 2011 1:50 AM
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Elba's Star Rises with Pacific Rim; Del Toro Wants To Direct Jolie in Maleficent

Idris Elba may not be playing Django in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (he did, however, win our casting poll), but after TV hits The Wire, The Office and Luther and numerous co-star and supporting film roles (including 28 Weeks Later, American Gangster, RocknRolla, Obsessed, The Losers, Taken, Thor) and the upcoming Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and Prometheus (alongside Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron), the actor is anything but desperate for work.

By Sophia Savage
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June 22, 2011 7:14 AM
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David O. Russell Loves Jolie, Eyes her for Silver Lining, in the Running to Direct Maleficent

Angelina Jolie, who remains attached to star in Maleficent, still lacks a director. Tim Burton bowed out in May, making room for David O. Russell and others to be considered by Disney. Russell was available for consideration after parting ways with Columbia Pictures over creative differences on the video game adaptation Unchartered Drake's Fortune (for which the director also drafted a script).

By Sophia Savage
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June 15, 2011 7:57 AM
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Angelina Jolie Takes Special Cambodia Journey for Louis Vuitton

It may not seem like a logical pairing, but check out this Angelina Jolie ad for Louis Vuitton. She put together her own clothes and makeup for this Annie Leibovitz photograph. The location is Cambodia (where Jolie shot Tomb Raider and met and adopted her eldest son); the brand's "Core Values" campaign lured Jolie to put her famous face and name to the equally famous luxury line.

By Sophia Savage
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June 13, 2011 3:23 AM
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Angelina Jolie Chooses Wisely: Salt Sequel Moves Forward

Angelina Jolie may have said no to a Wanted sequel (for another film that eventually lost her, Gravity), but that doesn't mean she doesn't know a good franchise when she sees one. Salt went from a Tom Cruise vehicle to an Angelina Jolie action classic, and it's getting a sequel. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Angelina Jolie is the first actress to transcend gender. And it’s hard to argue that any other actress can do what she can.

By Anne Thompson and Sophia Savage
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June 7, 2011 5:30 AM
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Cannes: Jolie's Directing Debut Goes to FilmDistrict, Which Also Buys Looper, Starring Willis

Angelina Jolie isn't just coming to Cannes in support of partner Brad Pitt, who stars in Monday's debut of Terrence Malick's long-awaited The Tree of Life. She is also in the market to sell her debut as a director, the Bosnian war film In The Land of Blood and Honey. FilmDistrict, which has enjoyed a torrid three days of intense dealmaking, has picked up the Graham King production for December 23 domestic release the English-language version of the writer-director's film. Which makes sense, as King owns FilmDistrict. Bob Berney will mount a limited release holiday campaign for the film, which features local Bosnian talent, not Jolie.