While nothing has yet come out of The Sun's persistent reports that Angelina will be working with Danny Boyle, the news that he is directing a James Bond short for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics (also first scooped by The Sun) had me thinking about the possibility of having him direct Salt 2. The Sun, which has apparently cornered the market for Danny Boyle rumors, had also reported that Boyle was approached to direct Skyfall before Sam Mendes got the gig, but Bolye quickly dismissed the rumor telling EW, "‘I enjoy the Bond movies, always have and always will, but I have no plans to direct one. I don’t know who came up with the story, but please tell them I’m very flattered to be thought of!’.
Boyle would be an interesting choice for Salt 2. He followed up his Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire with a sharp and skillfully executed 127 Hours and both Angelina and Sony should be very excited to work with him. But if he isn't interested in directing a Bond film, would he be interested in Salt? At least Christopher Nolan is on record as having a life-long wish to direct a Bond film. Both appear to be available after the Summer while Angelina should be free by November.
Boyle and Angelina met in 1995 when she flew over to Glasgow to visit then boyfriend Jonny Lee Miller who was filming Boyle's Trainspotting.
"The last time that Jonny Lee Miller worked with Danny Boyle, back in 1995, the director had to ask the young actor to stop rollerblading with Angelina Jolie. Miller met Jolie on Hackers, a high-tech fantasy film, and the couple were Rollerblading on the top floor of the Wills cigarette factory in Glasgow while Boyle was filming Trainspotting downstairs. Jolie was over from Los Angeles visiting Miller, a big-eyed pretty boy who had bleached his hair platinum blonde to play Sick Boy.
Boyle likes to tell the story of Miller and Ewan McGregor, who played Renton, turning up one morning “absolutely wrecked” from the night before. It was a gorgeous sunny day near the end of the shoot and the two actors had to film the scene in which they shoot a dog in the park. “They literally couldn’t walk,” Boyle says. “All they could do was lie down . . .”
This is not what Miller remembers and he wants to set the record straight. “That is bollocks! We never went out all night before work. I’ve never done that in my life! I know it to be true because Angelina, who at the time was my girlfriend, had come to visit. I was with her! She came to the park and Danny said, ‘Who’s that beautiful girl?’” He grins. “Angelina was leaving the next day so I certainly wasn’t out with Ewan McGregor.”
I haven't seen any report that she has met with Boyle since outside of The Sun's.
Director Phillip Noyce, who had spoken confidently about having ideas for Salt 2 & 3 before mixed reviews prompted his exit, is now directing a drama for BBC1 -- the latest in a string of small TV assignments since he finished Salt in 2010. If his work in Salt had turned out better, he would have been handed the reins to another big studio film by now. While Salt was both a domestic and worldwide hit, it is widely acknowledged that it owes its success solely to Angelina because the film itself didn't give her much support. Noyce is a competent journeyman director and while he isn't in Director jail, he is being passed over for others with a more exciting vision.
Someone who I expect is in Director jail is Florian von Donnersmarck. It may take a long time for Hollywood to forgive him for wasting the talents of two of its biggest stars and leaving them open to ridicule in one of the most ineptly made films in recent memory. The Tourist is a guilty pleasure because of the sumptuous sets and Angelina's jewels and wardrobe but it is also very frustrating to watch because it had so much potential and should have been much better.
