With her Netflix film First They Killed My Father getting ready to debut in limited theatrical release, as well as over at the streaming giant, Angelina Jolie has returned to the director's chair for the first time since Unbroken. Regardless, other than voice work for Kung Fu Panda 3, the last time we saw Jolie in front of the camera was with 2015's By The Sea. After taking a break from work while she dealt with the aftermath of her divorce from Brad Pitt, she seems keen to get back into the swing of her acting career, and she said the following about her future work plans:
Right now I don't have anything to direct that I feel passionate about like this, so I'll do some acting. I've taken over a year off now, because of my family situation, to take care of my kids.
The time off has obviously given the Academy Award-winning actress some time to decompress from her divorce from former husband Brad Pitt. While all of her personal life stuff was going on, there were rumors that Jolie was being considered for, only to eventually pass on a role in Murder on the Orient Express. Therefore, our excitement over when and what project wold mark Angelina Jolie's return to film has been brewing. And she's got two big projects she's thrown into consideration, among the various offers she's mentioned in the following quote from her THR interview:
Maleficent [2], we're working on, most likely. And I look forward to having some fun with that. Cleopatra, there is a script. There's a lot of different things floating around. But I haven't committed.
Evaluating the two named projects on the pile, it would seem more than likely that Maleficent 2 would be the more likely possibility as Disney has been going hard on the live action movies as of late. Plus, the recent news of the project's re-write status seems to be revving that engine. Though if Sony has already read these remarks, the studio may try to fast track its efforts on the Cleopatra project, as the project that will bring Angelina Jolie back to the acting fold will undoubtedly carry some publicity. No matter which of the two projects she has mentioned goes into production, it'll be nice to see Jolie's unique brand of acting talent and craft back on the silver screen.
As for her next directorial effort, it's easy to see why First They Killed My Father would be such a deeply personal film for Angelina Jolie to work on. Not only has her work with various humanitarian causes been as prolific as her various roles in Hollywood, but the connection between Jolie's son Maddox and his home country of Cambodia is one that has kept her connected to the country and its people. That familial connection may be even more deeply personal in the wake of her divorce.
For now, you can catch First They Killed My Father when it premieres on Netflix, and in limited release, on September 15th. To find out what else is heading to Netflix, take a look at our full schedule.
