Earlier this year, Angelina Jolie signed a three-year overall with British multinational distribution company Fremantle. And now, Deadline reports that the first project of that exclusive deal is in production with Selma Hayek and Demián Bichir as the leads.
READ MORE: Angelina Jolie To Direct Revenge Thriller ‘Without Blood’
“Without Blood,” based on Allesandro Boricco‘s 2002 novel of the same name, is a revenge fable that takes place in a farmhouse after an unidentified conflict in the Italian countryside. Jolie started production on the film in Southern Italy and Rome earlier this month, but Hayek and Bichir’s involvement wasn’t known until now.
The new film is Jolie’s fifth feature as a director and her first since 2017’s “First They Killed My Father.” On “Without Blood,” Jolie said, “I’m honored to be here in Italy to bring this very special material to film, and to have been entrusted by Alessandro Baricco with the adaptation of his book — with its unique poetry and emotion and way of looking at war, and the questions it poses about what we search for after trauma or loss or injustice.”
On top of “Without Blood,” Hayek is also shooting “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” with Channing Tatum and Steven Soderbergh right now. As for Bichir, he’s about to start on Showtime‘s take on “Let The Right One In.” John Avjide Lindqvist‘s 2004 vampire novel has already been adapted as a film twice, but apparently, Showtime thinks it’s worth a series order.
Jolie’s deal with Fremantle means it’s wise to expect lots of projects from the actress/director in the next three years. There’s no release date yet for “Without Blood,” but expect it out in early 2023.