The fate of every movie in Hollywood rests in Angelina Jolie’s hands. No, I’m just kidding. I think.
What force is more powerful than gravity? Apparently Angelina Jolie.
Deadline reports that Angelina Jolie, despite a desperate entreaty from Warner Brothers and a huge money offer, has passed on the lead role in “Gravity,” the scifi 3D film to be directed by Alfonso Cuaron. The director had previously offered her the role when Universal had the project, but she turned it down then as well.
This is, according to Deadline, enough to make WB unsure about their commitment to the film. Robert Downey Jr. has been cast in the movie, and he is a big star name right now, but his role is actually rather small. The producers feel they need a big star name and powerhouse onscreen presence to sell the film, and sadly, that pretty much begins and ends with Jolie right now in Hollywood. I say sadly not because I dislike her–I rather like Angelina, actually–but sadly because there are so few women stars who are perceived as box office guarantees (well, Meryl Streep’s movies always make money but she would agree that she’s out of the age range for this one).
Oh, quickly, here’s the “Gravity” story: “Gravity is set on a remote space station. While a team leader (Downey) and a female colleague are traveling outside, the other team members get wiped out by a debris field from an exploding satellite. The film’s central focus is the heroine’s desperate attempt to return home to her child.”
Scarlett Johansson’s name was connected to the picture as almost a sure thing (at least that’s how I got the info), and Blake Lively was supposedly so desperate for the role that she was trying to sneak around behind Scarlett’s back to get the producers to change their mind. I don’t know if that’s true, but it doesn’t matter anyway, as neither seems to have the part. And that’s probably a good thing–they’re both pretty girls and Johansson is a fairly big name, but both are too young to be believable as a mother desperate to get back to her child. Yes, I know biologically they’re the right age, but not in their movie careers. They don’t project that kind of maturity. And I don’t know if any studio wants to bank on either of them to sell a big time scifi movie.
Deadline says WB approached about a million other actresses: Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts, Marion Cotillard, Carey Mulligan, Sienna Miller, Abbie Cornish, Rebecca Hall, Olivia Wilde. Out of that group, I think I would buy Bullock, Watts, or Cotillard as believable in the role, but again, I don’t know if any of them could sell the movie. Well, maybe Bullock right now, but she still wouldn’t be my first choice.
So did Jolie have a problem with the script or is she just too busy? This film is supposed to shoot right after Downey finishes “Sherlock Holmes 2,” sometime next year. Take a look at what Jolile has planned:
- Making her directorial debut this fall on a love story that takes place in 1990s Bosnia, from a script she wrote;
- Joining director Tim Burton in the role of Maleficent in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty;
- Playing the title role in Cleopatra, which is being scripted by Brian Helgeland for Sony Pictures Entertainment;
- Playing the lead role in Scarpetta, the Fox 2000 adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling novel series about medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, which Kerry Williamson adapted.
- Making a sequel to Jolie’s summer hit Salt just getting underway at SPE;
- Possibly starring in a big screen version of the British miniseries “Unforgiven,” adapted by Christopher McQuarrie’
- Possibly starring in “Code Name Sasha,” which Paramount is developing, with Bryan Bertino writing the script.
- And she’s doing a voice for “Kung Fu Panda 2,” of course.
So she’s got a lot planned, though I wouldn’t expect all of those to work out.
The question, though, is whether WB will gamble and make “Gravity” with another actress, or dump “Gravity” since it might be too risky without a star of Jolie’s caliber; if they do, will someone else pick it up and make it with another actress? Or will they rewrite it so the man is the leading part and let Downey’s name do the heavy lifting? I wouldn’t bet against the latter.
