Angelina Jolie Could Turn into Tom Cruise for ‘Edwin A. Salt’

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 12, 2008

What we do know about Edwin Salt is that he’s a spy for the C.I.A., he might be a double agent for Russia, and up until recently he was a guy played by Tom Cruise.

With Cruise out, though, Columbia Pictures is turning to the next obvious choice to take his place: Angelina Jolie. So now, he might be a she, and her name most likely won’t be Edwin.

If it sounds revolutionary, it’s not. Jolie is one of the most recognizable actors on the planet and certainly one of the most bankable action stars. As Variety points out, Jolie was a major part of Wanted bringing in massive cash at the box office. Plus, her involvement would actually make this story stand out – now the spy story that sounds like every other spy story ever written, ever, is like every other spy story ever written except…it’s a female spy. That’s right. Thank you, Hollywood, for your incredible innovations.

Edwin A. Salt will be retitled if Jolie inks the deal and will head toward production. Although Lionsgate is also looking at the actress to take on their adaptation project of Ayn Rand’s notably boring novel Atlas Shrugged. Whether it will be silencers and code books or a film that college freshman can claim to enjoy in order to appear intellectual for the actress is still up in the air. I’m sure at least one of the Rejects would love to keep an eye on Jolie to see what she does next.

Read more articles by Dr. Cole Abaius