Angelina Jolie Refused to Return for $293M Action Thriller Sequel Despite Stealing Tom Cruise’s Role for Original Movie

Angelina Jolie is one of the most renowned female action actresses in the industry and was a regular face in action movies during the mid-2000s. The Wanted actress is often praised for her dedication to performing her stunts and pushing herself physically and mentally for her roles, which earned her the reputation as one of the most committed actresses in Hollywood. The actress has played in several action movies in her career, with Salt being one of her best movies.

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Salt, the 2010 action thriller movie starring Angelina Jolie was a massive hit, as it collected $293.5 million worldwide at the Box Office. The movie was a commercial as well as a critical success, as both loved the actress’ performance.

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Why Was Salt 2 Cancelled?

The 2010 action movie starring the Wanted actress was a smash hit at the Box Office, as well as it presented a stellar cast that featured Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Andre Braugher in the movie. But most important of all, the movie ended, teasing a sequel to the fans. The movie had an open ending, which showed that Evelyn Salt was a sleeper agent, but she has proved her loyalty to the CIA, and she vowed that she will hunt down the remaining sleeper agents which was a potential story for the sequel.

Featured Video Advertisement Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt

However, the sequel never took place. In 2012, Angelina Jolie was presented with a script for the sequel of the 2010 film, but she rejected it. Later, there were several reports of a potential sequel, but the presence of the Eternals actress remained in question. In addition to a potential sequel of the film, in 2016, reports of a Salt TV Series started to emerge, where the story would continue from the events of the film’s endings. However, there were not many reports of the series, as the script looked similar to The Blacklist. Hence, after years of unsuccessful trials, the series died out.

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Angelina Jolie Replaced Tom Cruise in Salt

While the Maleficent actress played a fantastic role in the 2010 action thriller, many people do not know that the film had a casting problem, as Tom Cruise was set to play the role of Edwin A. Salt. Phillip Noyce, the director of the film stated that the Mission Impossible actor was “flirting with the part,” but they could not get him to sign for the movie.

“Tom was flirting with the part, and we just couldn’t pin him down. Eventually he did ‘Knight and Day’ instead.”

Tom Cruise in Knight and Day

The director continued that Sony Pictures honcho Amy Pascal suggested casting Angelina Jolie for the role which seemed outrageous but later it turned out to be fantastic. They made a few changes such as Edwin Salt becoming Evelyn Salt, and the actress stated that she would not like to have a child in the movie.

A still from Salt

“It seemed for like 15 seconds to be an outrageous idea and then I realized how fantastic it was. The final act of the original movie was devoted to Edwin A. Salt saving his wife and kid. But that was so expected and Angie didn’t want to have a kid (in the movie). She thought she wouldn’t have a child if she was that character to put the child in such jeopardy.”

While Tom Cruise’s Knight and Day collected only $262 million at the Box Office, Salt performed comparatively better, and even now in 2023, the movie is a fan favorite due to its high-speed chases, well-choreographed action scenes, and the ability to narrate a compelling story to the viewers.

Also Read: “That’s something I’ll never achieve”: James McAvoy Freaked Out Before Starring in Angelina Jolie’s $342 Million Action Packed Movie ‘Wanted’

Salt is available for streaming on Netflix.

Source: Looper

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