The Tourist Loses Theron, May Get Jolie

Charlize Theron as an Interpol babe looking to use Sam Worthington to ambush a criminal might have been interesting, but Angelina Jolie in the same role just makes sense. It is, after all, one of those sly, seductive, badass roles that Jolie seems to have cornered in recent years, with turns in “Wanted”, the “Tomb Raider” movies, and the upcoming “Salt”. Her latest may be replacing Theron on the thriller “The Tourist”, though no one has confirmed Theron’s departure or Jolie’s interest as yet.

A remake of the French thriller “Anthony Zimmer” from 2005, “The Tourist” was originally supposed to star Tom Cruise as an American tourist who is thrust into Interpol’s manhunt for a wanted criminal. The role has since gone to Hollywood “It” boy Sam Worthington. Theron would have played the Interpol cop chasing the criminal and who decides to use the tourist to do it.

Maybe. I’ve read about five descriptions for the original and the remake, and it’s like reading five completely different movies. In the original, Sophie Marceau plays the mistress to a notorious and brilliant criminal, who decides to use a tourist to throw the law-enforcement types off her boyfriend’s scent. From what I’ve read so far, the remake will turn one of the law-enforcement types into the Theron-Jolie leading lady role, and will be using the tourist as a way to get the criminal.

Besides losing its leading lady, “The Tourist” has also lost its director in Bharat Nalluri, who is reported to have dropped out of the movie. The film is scheduled for a 2010 release, so if the producers want to meet that deadline, they best get the move on to find a new leading lady and director.

Another reason to never ever go joyriding with Angelina Jolie.