Romantic thriller “The Tourist” has become something of a revolving door in recent months. First, Tom Cruise, who had been flirting with the lead role, left in favor of the similar James Mangold film “Wichita,” to be replaced by rising Australian star Sam Worthington (“Avatar”, “Terminator: Salvation”). Now, his supposed co-star Charlize Theron has also departed the project, along with director Bharat Nalluri (“Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day”). Spyglass are pretty hot on the project though, which is set for an early 2010 start, and are already moving on, going in to negotiations with Angelina Jolie to replace her.
The draft we have, by Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park”) and Jeffrey Nachmanoff (“Traitor”), is a sort of sexy Hitchcockian thriller, very much aimed at adults — along the lines of “The Thomas Crown Affair,” although Cruise brought Christopher McQuarrie (“Valkyrie”) with him on to the project, so it’s since been revised.
There seems to have been a plot rewrite too — The Hollywood Reporter sums it up as “an American tourist who, on behalf of Interpol, goes undercover to entrap a former lover who’s a suspected global criminal,” which doesn’t quite gel with what we’ve read. With Theron and Nalluri’s departure, and the addition of Worthington and Jolie, our suspicions are that it’s becoming less classy, and more action-oriented, possibly following the failure earlier in the year of the similarly-toned “Duplicity.” Jolie (pictured above in the upcoming spy movie “Salt”) does seem like a more obvious fit for the part than Theron, but this is tempered by the fact that the actress has never, ever made a good movie. There’s no word on the new director, but one is expected to appointed very soon. If it’s a convention helmer, you’ll know which direction this one is headed. I.e., not the place any of us want it to go.
"the actress has never, ever made a good movie" Really? A Mighty Heart and Changeling were both better than good.
Yeah, i have to disagree too. A Mighty Heart is some powerful stuff. She's great in it. Changeling I can't fully back, but she's good in that too.
I didn't like "A Mighty Heart", it was a little pointless. It began, ran it's course, then ended. Didn't pack the punch and beauty of the memoir it was adapted from. Jolie is seriously overrated in that role, imho.
"I.e., not the place any of us want it to go." – what's that?
Aw, she was totally great in "Girl, Interrupted"!
I'm not going to get into your ridiculous allegation that Jolie has "never made a good movie" because it's a spurious comment and baseless. However, now that you know Lasse Hallstrom is going to be the director on this moviek, what direction do you see it going in? Fluff or a more conventional thriller?
Also, I found this story from July 2007 about how Hallstrom was the original director for this movie when Spyglass first bought the property, so obviously your synopsis of the history of this project isn't complete. It was still titled "Anthony Zimmer" at that time, so the movie has obviously morphed a few times as it's changed hands.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00010320.html
Lasse Halstrom Recreates "Anthony Zimmer"
July 26, 2007
Noted filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom will helm a remake of the 2005 French movie "Anthony Zimmer" for Spyglass Entertainment.
Coming to his next feature assignment, "An Unfinished Life" maker Lasse Hallstrom has reached deals with Spyglass Entertainment to direct "Anthony Zimmer", the studio's remake of the 2005 French film of the same name, Variety has revealed.
The original, written and directed by Jerome Salle, centers on a man who finds his life in danger when a female Interpol agent uses him as a dupe to flush out an elusive criminal with whom she once had an affair.
In working on the Americanized version, Spyglass has already hired "Gosford Park" scribe Julian Fellowes to pen the script and reportedly is aiming to begin production by early 2008. Serving as producers are Spyglass' Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, and Jonathan Glickman with Leslie Holleran, Hallstrom's longtime producing partner, being expected to join the threesome.