14 DAY TRIAL // Initially, “Salt,” an action-packed film about a spy believed to be working as a double agent, was meant to have Tom Cruise as the main star. When he pulled out of the project, they had him replaced with Angelina Jolie, an actress who had already proven her worth in action movies such as “Tom Raider,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Wanted.” Now, courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment, fans can have a first glimpse at how Angelina will look like Evelyn Salt, the main character in the upcoming film.
From what the pictures are showing, Jolie will be donning several wigs and different disguises, in a bid to confuse the viewer into not knowing which is the real her. This inevitably draws comparisons with TV hit show “Alias” (in which Jennifer Garner adopted the same MO to go unnoticed and unrecognized while on missions), or “Jason Bourne” and “James Bond,” the only exception being that “Salt” will be the feminine version of the last two.
Directed by Phillip Noyce (“The Bone Collector” and “Patriot Games”) and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“Transformers” and “G.I. Joe”), the main appeal of “Salt” will be, according to the team behind it, not knowing what is real and what isn’t about the main character.
“She’s a character you never know. People who think they know the real her may or may not. Those who think they can tell whether she’s in a disguise also may or may not. You’re supposed to be kept guessing. She tells you her agenda, but are you supposed to believe it?” di Bonaventura explains for USA Today.
Scheduled for release for 2010, “Salt” also proved a challenge when it came to making the main lead a woman. It wasn’t as easy as changing “he” to “she” in the script, as di Bonaventura puts it, since many other things had to be taken into consideration as well. “I had no idea how complex it would be. We had to rethink the whole notion of how a man vs. a woman operates in the business world, in personal relationship and in friendships.” the famous producer adds.
With Noyce promising for the same publication that what fans will get with “Salt” will be “a reality-based spy movie with action set pieces as thrilling as the most crowd-pleasing movies of this genre,” and with Angelina looking so convincing in these two shots just released, fans will probably be hearing more of this upcoming film in the months to come. Keep an eye on this space.
