When Phillip Noyce’s Salt came to theaters in 2010 it didn’t exactly set the world on fire critically or domestically, but it was definitely a big hit overseas. While the spy flick cost $110 million to make and only managed to pull in $118 million here in the United States, the movie was a big hit abroad, making $175 million and pushing the international total to nearly $300 million. Naturally there has been plenty of talk about a sequel since, but it’s hit a few roadblocks on the way. Noyce announced that he wouldn’t be back for the follow-up quickly, just five months after the original’s release and most recently there was some drama when it was reported that star Angelina Jolie had rejected a script from Kurt Wimmer, who also wrote the first film. But if you think that’s going to stop Salt 2 you just don’t know Hollywood.
THR is saying that Becky Johnston, whose previous credits include scripts like 1991's The Prince of Tides and 1997's Seven Years in Tibet, is now in talks with Columbia Pictures to write a new draft of Salt 2. What's interesting about the new report, however, is that apparently Jolie still seems to be a holdout. The trade mentions the situation with the star and the first script and doesn't mention her current relationship with the project. Given that she’s the titular character – a CIA agent who was accused of being a Russian spy in the first movie – the studio is probably pretty keen on doing everything in their powers to get her to come back. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash will be back to produce the project, though a director has not yet been found.
Johnston most recently wrote the screenplay for Dante Ariola's Arthur Newman, which stars Colin Firth, Emily Blunt and Anne Heche. The film made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
