Some assorted Angelina Jolie news for you today. First up, the release date for Angelina’s Maleficent – her first starring role since 2010’s The Tourist – has been moved up. It was originally given a July 2, 2014 release date, but now it’s being moved up to May 30, 2014. Memorial Day weekend? That sounds promising.

As for Angelina’s second directorial job, Unbroken, she’s currently in Australia, scouting locations and deep into pre-production. She’s already cast British actor Jack O’Connell in the lead role of Lou Zamperini, and now she’s added Garrett Hedlund to the cast. Hedlund’s last casting mention was the 50 Shades of Grey thing – word was that E.L. James really wanted Garrett but that he really didn’t want to play master spanker Christian Grey. It seems that Garrett would prefer to be at the end of Angelina’s whip!

Garrett Hedlund is set to star alongside Jack O’Connell in Universal’s biopic, “Unbroken.”

Angelina Jolie is helming the film with the Coen brothers doing the latest pass on the script. Earlier drafts were written by William Nicholson and Richard LaGravenese.

Pic is based on the Laura Hillenbrand book “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” that follows the true story of Lou Zamperini who was a Los Angeles high school track star who raced in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1943, his Air Force plane crashed in the Pacific. He survived without food and water for 47 days, enduring shark attacks, aerial attacks and hunger before washing ashore on a Japanese island behind enemy lines, where he was held as a prisoner of war for two years and tortured by his captors.

Hedlund would play the leader of the prisoners at the camp where Zamperini is being held.

Jolie, Matthew Baer, Erwin Stoff and Clayton Townsend will produce. Mick Garris will serve as executive producer. Roger Deakins has also come on as the film’s cinematographer. Universal’s vice president of production Kristin Lowe and creative executive Sara Scott will oversee the project for the studio.

Hedlund has long been interested in the story of Zamperini and wanted to be involved in the project. Sources say the role of Fitzgerald fits him perfectly.

[From Variety]

That’s cool that Garrett has always been interested in the story and that he would have done anything to be involved with the project. You know what else I remember? Gwyneth Paltrow once said that Garrett reminded her of “the very lovely Brad Pitt”. I wonder if Angelina saw that in Garrett too. Garrett’s all about being a proper, serious actor these days too. Hm. Did Angelina Jolie just hire herself a little side-crumpet? No, of course not!! SHE WOULD NEVER (or would she?). Empress Zahara is going to have to keep her eye on this situation.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.