Hollywood's bold gamble: Will Brad and Angelina reunite on screen?
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been offered a substantial fee to star together in a film, despite their ongoing, turbulent divorce that has lasted for eight years.
Producer Danny Rossner, known for films like the parody "2001: A Comic Odyssey" with Leslie Nielsen and "The Ultimate Weapon" with Hulk Hogan, claims he has raised approximately £49 million for a production that would bring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together in one project.
Rossner has been working on the film for over 20 years and hopes to cast Pitt and Jolie in the leading roles. It will be a love story set during World War II in Cannes, France. Pitt would portray the character of Emmanuel Martinez, the owner of Hotel Martinez, and Jolie would play his lover and muse, Emma Digard.
The script requires the actors to appear together in intimate scenes. "There is a love scene … It’s a torrid one, too. It’s not salacious but there are very heavy love scenes. [Martinez] had a wife and he had a mistress," Rossner explained.
Rossner plans to offer both actors a fee 50% higher than their usual rates. This would mean approximately £31 million for Pitt and £18 million for Jolie. However, the disparity in fees may present an additional challenge in negotiations.
Despite the lucrative offer, the likelihood of the pair agreeing to appear together is slim. Pitt and Jolie have been caught in a difficult divorce process since 2016, involving custody disputes, asset division, and the future of their shared vineyard.
The extent to which the pair wish to avoid each other is evidenced by the fact that in September, the organisers of the Venice Film Festival had to ensure Pitt’s and Jolie’s films were screened on different days. "There is no way that they can cross each other at the Lido," said the artistic director, Alberto Barbera, at the time in a conversation with "Vanity Fair".
When asked why he is so keen to cast the former couple in his film, Rossner replied, "Guaranteed success if they come on." He admitted that the involvement of Jolie and Pitt would generate more profits than any other couple in the world. "There’s not even a second place. It’s a slam dunk with them," he stated.
The love story
Pitt and Jolie, once referred to as "Brangelina," met in 2004 on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". They have six children: Maddox (23 years old), Pax (21), Zahara (19), Shiloh (18), and twins Knox and Vivienne (16). Following their separation, the children remained with their mother, and some of them have removed Pitt’s surname.
Jolie hasn't been in a serious relationship since their breakup, while Pitt is currently seeing jewellery designer Ines De Ramon.
