Angelina Jolie Defies 'Gravity' and Eyes 'Serena' with Darren Aronofsky

'Wanted 2' is scrapped and 'The Tourist' is underway

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Sunday, February 28th 2010 at 11:19 PM

The Angelina Jolie stories have been a bit up-down-and-all-sides recently after news of her deciding to pass on Wanted 2, which initial reports indicated the film was then dead in the water, but The Hollywood Reporter says the sequel is still alive.

Meanwhile, Jolie was said to be moving on to work with Alfonso Cuaron in the sci-fi thriller Gravity, only to have the volume on that story turned down by Entertainment Weekly. EW's Nicole Sperling said Jolie’s representatives "say the actress has passed on doing Gravity at Warner Bros. and that even WB "is still unable to confirm whether or not Gravity is even set up with the studio." Okay… so what is Jolie working on?

Of course there was the recent update regarding her desire to play Kay Scarpetta, the medical examiner in 17 mystery novels written by best-selling author Patricia Cornwell. She's also long been attached to Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged", but I have been reporting on her involvement with that project since September 2006.

Nope, looks like her next gig may be with Darren Aronofsky in a big-screen adaptation of Ron Rash's 2008 period tome "Serena: A Novel." Chris Kyle (K-19: The Widowmaker) has written the script with Aronofsky said to be directing and Jolie starring. While the package is making the rounds, the report at The Hollywood Reporter says the script needs a little bit of work before Jolie and Aronofsky give it the thumbs up.

Set in the rugged mountains of 1929 North Carolina, "Serena" follows a man named George Pemberton and his new bride, Serena, as they create a timber empire. Serena not only takes to the woods, but she also pushes her husband to commit more and more ruthless acts. When she learns she cannot bear a child, Serena sets out to murder the son her husband fathered illegitimately.

Of course, Jolie will next be seen in the action-thriller Salt for Phillip Noyce in a role that was once written for Tom Cruise and then underwent a gender switch. Jolie plays a CIA officer accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy. Salt hits theaters on July 23.

After that, she'll be seen in the Julian Fellowes scripted feature The Tourist opposite Johnny Depp and directed by Lives of Others helmer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. That film was also at one time set to star Tom Cruise opposite Charlize Theron, then Cruise dropped out and was replaced by Sam Worthington, which then ultimately had both Worthington and Theron drop out only to be replaced by Jolie and Depp. Several shots of Jolie on set appeared at Just Jared recently just like the one seen to the right.

The Tourist is a remake of the 2005 French spy thriller in which Jolie will play a female Interpol agent who uses an American tourist (Depp) in an attempt to flush out an elusive criminal with whom she once had an affair. Columbia Pictures is distributing for an unknown 2011 release date.

After that she'll once again lend her voice to the character of Tigress in Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom, which is set to hit theaters on June 3, 2011.

There's certainly a lot on her plate.

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