PH BLOG ➹

A ngelina Jolie plays Elise Ward, a beautiful (of course!) and mysterious woman involved in a romantic relationship with the wanted thief Alexander Pearce – but keeps her true motivations close to the vest, in Columbia Pictures' new romantic thriller “The Tourist.” “She’s instructed by Alexander to take a train from Paris to Venice, and while on the train find a man – someone of Alexander’s height and build,” says Jolie. “She finds Frank (played by Johnny Depp) and throws him into this adventure.” Jolie had been attracted to “The Tourist” by the potential of the strong female character and by the chance to work with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, and to have him co-write the script. After a very early meeting, it was clear that the director and star were on the same page about the kind of movie they wanted to make. “Henckel von Donnersmarck's `The Lives of Others' is a beautiful, intelligent film, but also heavy,” says Jolie. “When we met, he was very cl...

I n 2007, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for “The Lives of Others.” The searing portrait of a Stasi agent set against the political intrigue and subsequent collapse of the East German state, the film marked both his debut as a director and one of the most acclaimed releases of the decade. In January 2011, von Donnersmarck returns with his long-awaited follow up and first Hollywood film, “The Tourist,” which follows the exploits of Johnny Depp’s American innocent abroad in Europe, Frank Tupelo - a man who gets more intrigue than he bargains for when he falls for Angelina Jolie’s enigmatic screen siren, Elise.

F rom Oscar-winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (“The Lives of Others”) comes Columbia Pictures’ highly anticipated romantic thriller “The Tourist” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. In the film, Johnny Depp stars as an American tourist whose playful dalliance with a stranger leads to a web of intrigue, romance and danger. During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank (Depp) unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise (Jolie), an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse. “The Tourist” is written by Academy Award® winning screenwriters Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park,” “The Young Victoria”) and Christopher McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects,” “Valkyrie”), and Jeffrey Nachmanoff (“The Day After Tomorrow”).

There’s no stopping the tenacious Evelyn Salt in her box-office domination! A ngelina Jolie ’s power-packed action-thriller Salt breached the landmark P100-million gross Sunday, Aug. 8 or 12 days after its release. This according to Victor R. Cabrera , managing director of distributor Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. The film’s cumulative nationwide gross now stands at a spectacular P100.11-million, easily beating the final grosses of previous spy megahits such as Wanted (P94.65-M), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (P83.26-M) and all three Jason Bourne movies -- The Bourne Ultimatum (P58.07-M), The Bourne Supremacy (P35.90-M) and The Bourne Identity (P 36.80-M).

Evelyn Salt outguns James Bond , Jason Bourne …even Mr. & Mrs. Smith ! Columbia Pictures’ “ Salt ,” a heart-stopping action-thriller starring Angelina Jolie as a suspected double spy, opened at No. 1 at the Philippine box-office, amassing a formidable gross of P58.12-million in five days in 132 screens for the July 28 to Aug. 1 weekend. This was revealed today by Victor R. Cabrera, managing director of distributor Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. Arriving to tremendous rave reviews for its break-neck pace and hard-hitting action, “Salt” posted the 4th biggest opening of the year, outpacing 5th placer “ Shrek Forever After ” (P56.9-M) and bested only by “ Twilight Saga: Eclipse ” (P177.6-M), “ Iron Man 2 ” (P104.9-M) and “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (P60.7-M).

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills & years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues & the question remains: "Who is Salt?" SALT is played by Angeline Jolie , other cast includes Liev Schreiber , and Chiwetel Ejiofor . This film is directed by Phillip Noyce , the same director for The Bone Collector which is also topbilled by Angelina Jolie. SALT was originally a male character ( Tom Cruise ) but he back-out, so Angelina Jolie take the spot.

Angelina Jolie stars in Salt , a contemporary action thriller from Columbia Pictures. As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who Is Salt?" Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media a di Bonaventura Pictures production, A film by Phillip Noyce , Salt. The film stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, and Andre Braugher. Directed by Phillip Noyce. Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash. Written by Kurt Wimmer. Executive Producers are Ric Kidney, Mark Vahradian, and Ryan Kavanaugh. Director of Photography is R...

Columbia Pictures’ new, contemporary spy thriller Salt , starring Angelina Jolie, began life with an offhand comment Jolie made a few years ago. “I was meeting with (Sony Pictures Co-Chairman) Amy Pascal when it came up in conversation that she was getting ready to make one of the new James Bond films,” Jolie remembers. “I playfully said, ‘I want to be Bond!’ That was our little joke, and then she found this project.” Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer had originally conceived the role of Salt to be played by a male actor. His original spec script was developed with producer Sunil Perkash, who then brought it to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Amy Pascal at Sony, who in turn brought on director Phillip Noyce . Like all motion picture projects, the screenplay then went through several drafts, but the major change to the script occurred when the filmmakers envisioned Jolie, an Academy Award® -winning actress and one of the few women in the world who can carry an action picture, in the ...

Australian director Phillip Noyce has done it all, from acclaimed thrillers like “ Clear and Present Danger ” and " Patriot Games " to dramas such as " The Quiet American .” Now he's back in the chair for the much anticipated spy thriller " Salt ", which reunites him with his " The Bone Collector " co-star Angelina Jolie . In this interview, Noyce takes time out from filming in New York City to talk at length about the film, how it changed from a Tom Cruise movie to a Angelina Jolie film, and working with the talented actress. Question: This film went from a male lead character, then to a female lead character. And it went through a whole sort of casting process… Philip Noyce: In the original script by Kurt Wimmer, the lead character was called, at that time, Edwin A. Salt. We discussed the film with Tom Cruise, we had a table read with various actors, including Samuel L. Jackson, who kindly played one of the parts, just so we could hear ...