Oscar winner Angelina Jolie is eyeing her return to the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she is in early talks to topline “Shoot Like a Girl,” Tristar’s adaptation of an upcoming memoir by Air Force Major Mary Jennings Hegar. The book, titled “Shoot Like a Girl: How One Woman’s War Against the Taliban Led to Her Victory Over the Department of Defense,” is slated to hit shelves in March 2017.
Jolie would portray Hegar, who, The Hollywood Reporter writes, “served three tours in Afghanistan as an elite rescue helicopter pilot.” Hegar earned both a Purple Heart the Distinguished Flying Cross for her service, and “opened the front lines for women by successfully taking on the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., asserting that the combat exclusion policy barring women from combat duty was unconstitutional and unjust toward women in the military.” She was named one of Newsweek’s 125 Women of Impact of 2012.
The project is being produced by The Gotham Group, with the most recent draft of the script penned by Frank Baldwin, who wrote an upcoming feature about Grisela Blanco, the so-called “Godmother of Cocaine,” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. HBO is also developing a movie about Blanco, with Jennifer Lopez in the lead role and executive producing.
Jolie’s latest project to hit theaters was “Kung Fu Panda 3,” where she reprised the voice of Tigress. She was last seen in 2015’s “By the Sea,” her second feature directorial effort following 2014’s “Unbroken.” Jolie is attached to star in Disney’s upcoming “Maleficent” sequel. The first film was one of 2014’s biggest box office hits, and grossed more than $758 million internationally.
There seems to be a real demand for war-centric, female-led films at the moment. A number of films based on female soldiers are coming up, including Teyonah Parris in Christine Swanson’s “Buffalo Soldier Girl,” Ellen Page in Reed Morano’s “Lioness,” and “Ashley’s War,” produced by Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea. Just last week Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures acquired Christopher Cosmos’ “American Rebel,” a spec script centered on Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man to join the Continental Army. There are also at least three films in the works about female photographers best known for documenting wars: Jennifer Lawrence will portray Lynsey Addario in “It’s What I Do,” Kate Winslet is slated to play Lee Miller in an untitled drama, and Charlize Theron is producing a project about Marie Colvin.
