It must be nice being Angelina Jolie, who’s in a position where studios are utterly desperate to woo her, but no matter what they offer her, she doesn’t really need the cash, so can accept or decline whatever she likes. And with Gravity, she certainly seems determined to say no.
You may recall that a while back she was attached to the Alfonso Cuaron movie, but eventually declined to star (around the same time she also backed out of Wanted 2). After that the director and studio met with virtually every actress of the right age in the hope of finding a replacement, with reports a couple of weeks ago that it had come down to Blake Lively and Scarlet Johansson (they also saw or considered Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Marion Cotillard, Naomi Watts, Carey Mulligan, Sienna Miller, Abbie Cornish, Rebecca Hall, Olivia Wilde, and several more).
However, Deadline is now reporting that despite that, they really, really want Jolie, and went back to her with a much improved offer. However she’s said no again! What isn’t known though it whether it’s just because she doesn’t like the script, or if her schedule is already too full (she’s developed a close relationship with GK Films, who are financing her directorial debut, and putting together other movies for her). Cuaron does have a bit of time to sort things out as the movie isn’t due to start shooting until early next year. That’s as long as Jolie declining again doesn’t give Warner cold feet and cause them to back out – after all, they wouldn’t be the first studio to do so, as Gravity started life at Universal.
Cuaron co-wrote the Castaway-meets-Apollo-13 film with his brother Jonas, about a team of astonauts repairing the Hubble telescope who get hit by debris from an exploded satellite, killing nearly everyone. The film then revolves around the surviving female astronaut’s battle to fight her way back to Earth and reunite with her daughter. Robert Downey-Jr is attached to the male lead, but as its the female role that holds the movie together, Warner is keen to get the right person.