MOVIE NEWS
The Angelina Jolie-led action thriller Salt was a surprisingly big hit when it opened in the summer of 2010, holding its own against male-led action films like The Expendables and Prince of Persia and reaffirming Jolie's importance as a female action star. And while a sequel was put into development pretty quickly, it's been quiet ever since then, with nothing but word that the sequel was in process and Philip Noyce would not be returning to direct it.
Now Jolie herself may have put another obstacle in the film's way. Moviehole reports that Jolie has turned down the recent script drafted by Kurt Wimmer, and the writer is now reshaping it to hopefully come up with a draft that makes the actress happy. Jolie has seemed committed to the film in the past-- and it's her vehicle, so she can shape it however she likes-- but the longer they wait to put something together, the less likely it may become that the movie happens. Jolie is plenty in demand, of course, and she's getting ready to play the Disney villainess Maleficent, with plenty of other projects also on the docket. Is she always going to be able to make time for Salt 2?
I enjoyed the original movie a lot, as a kind of breath-of-fresh-air alternative to the superhero movies and franchises that generally dominate the summer, and I've been holding out hope that the sequel would come together. But the longer they wait, the less likely it seems. If you're also hoping the movie happens, cross your fingers that a better draft makes its way to Jolie soon.
PSST! With Caffeinated Clint
Angelina Jolie has turned down “Salt 2″ – well, the current incarnation of it. Jolie’s just finished reading Kurt Wimmer’s script for a potential sequel to her 2010 hit but didn’t go for it; as a result, the leg-flashing Oscar Winner refused to sign off on it. Columbia Pictures have had Wimmer go back to the drawing board to see if he can come up with something that’ll work for Jolie.
Angelina Jolie Has Apparently Turned Down Kurt Wimmer's First Stab At 'Salt 2'
The latter, "Salt," made nearly $300 million worldwide and so Columbia Pictures re-hired Kurt Wimmer (who also penned the first film) to begin work on a script for a sequel. Well, Wimmer wrote it, the studio sent it to Angelina for approval, and according to Moviehole, she wasn't pleased and refused to sign off on it. Oh dear, so what happens now? Well Columbia have asked Wimmer to start over and try to see whether he can come up with something this time that Evelyn Salt will approve of. It all begs the question of whether Angelina ever read the script for the first movie. If she did, then how low are her standards? And how bad is this new script if it doesn't meet said standards?
Of course, Columbia could always recast the role, or rewrite the sequel with a new character involved (a la Bourne), but then they'd have a hard time attracting anyone with anywhere near as much star power, or who could match Jolie in the female-action department (give Jolie her due, she kicks ass well) at the same time. The fact of the matter is that this is only a franchise with Jolie involved, and she's the one and only reason the first film made that kind of money in the first place, so they better hope they can produce a decent script soon. Our advice: hire a different writer. If not then we've probably got more chance of seeing the blaxploitation spin-off, "Pepper," before "Salt 2" makes its way to theatres.
