One of the greatest actors to ever leap into the world of action is all set to return, as Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie reunites with Mr. & Mrs. Smith director Doug Liman to lock and load again in a new spy thriller.
Jolie is well-versed in the world of action movies, having starred as video game icon Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider franchise, played an assassin in the comic book adaptation Wanted, and joined the MCU in 2021’s Eternals. The Hollywood icon also has ample experience in espionage, having played a spy in the likes of Salt and Doug Liman’s own Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which saw the actress share the screen with Brad Pitt as a married couple who find out they are both secretly working as spies and assassins…and their respective assignments are to kill each other.
Now, Jolie is all set to return to the genre in The Initiative, which will see her reunite with Doug Liman, who himself is no stranger to action thanks to the likes of The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, and the recent remake of Road House. Universal is now reportedly close to wrapping up picking up the rights (via THR), with F. Scott Frazier (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) on board to write the script.
Production is eyeing an early 2026 star, with the action thriller being described as “Training Day set in the world spycraft,” with Jolie “playing a rogue master spy named Bright who works outside the lines.” The rest of the logline reads…
“When a new agent named Charlie joins Bright’s team, he soon finds himself in situations where he isn’t sure whether his new boss is trying to kill him or simply is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect the free world.”
Taylor Sheridan Directed Angelina Jolie’s Most Underrated Action Thriller
One of Angelina Jolie’s most recent forays into the world action is also one of her most underrated, and sees the actress taking the lead in Yellowstone and Tulsa King creator Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead. Released in 2021, the action thriller finds Jolie starring as Hannah, “a smoke jumper still reeling from the loss of three lives she failed to save from a fire when she comes across a traumatized 12-year-old boy with nowhere else to turn.”
The action outing boasts a reliably captivating performance from Jolie, who stars alongside an all-star cast that includes Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Perry, and Finn Little as Connor, the 12-year-old boy who finds himself the target of some very dangerous people. While Those Who Wish Me Dead was met with a somewhat muted response from critics, landing a score of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, the action thriller was a big hit with audiences, hitting highs of 86% on the Popcornmeter.
Jolie will next star in the upcoming drama Couture, while Doug Liman is still signed on to helm the supernatural thriller, Deeper, starring Tom Cruise, as well as the currently untitled SpaceX project that will see Cruise film in space.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
