Charlize Theron has had a really great 2015, hasn’t she? Her personal life is back on track after she ghosted the hell out of Sean Penn back in late May/early June. She adopted a little girl and she’s managed to keep nearly all of the details private. Professionally, she’s having a stellar year too. After the Sony Hack, she was able to use the salary information to request and receive a bigger paycheck for The Huntsman. She premiered Mad Max: Fury Road to widespread acclaim and a huge box office, and she walked away a bona fide action star. So much so that she’s now considering taking a role as a CIA assassin – a role which was originally supposed to star Brad Pitt.
How convincing was Charlize Theron’s action-star work in this summer’s Mad Max: Fury Road? Sony Pictures is in talks with her to come aboard The Gray Man, an adaptation of the Mark Greaney novel that at one time had Brad Pitt ready to star with James Gray directing. Sony has been pushing me off this since July, and they still say it’s early, but I’ve confirmed that Theron is in the process of attaching herself as the star, with her Denver and Delilah label coming aboard as producers alongside Joe Roth.
The script is by Joe and Anthony Russo, who were at one time attached as directors before they got busy with Captain America: Civil War and the next two installments of The Avengers.
The thriller focuses on an expert CIA op-turned-assassin who is forced to evade adversaries as he saves the lives of daughters he didn’t know he had. Obviously that is harder to do when the protagonist is female, but I guess they’ll figure it out. Sony famously changed the gender of another spy thriller, Salt, which was tailored for Angelina Jolie after Tom Cruise bowed out of the lead role. It doesn’t happen that often and puts Theron in rare territory.
I chuckled at “saves the lives of daughters he didn’t know he had… Obviously that is harder to do when the protagonist is female.” Although THAT would be another amazing project for Charlize. Oops, I Forgot I Had Those Daughters: The Movie. God, I sort of hope they keep that plot point, don’t you? It’s a brave new world for casting women in roles that were written for men. Anyway, I don’t hate the idea of Charlize as a badass CIA assassin kicking ass and killing her way through Europe. It feels like Charlize is our new Angelina Jolie, because five years ago this is the exact kind of role that Angelina would be up for. So it’s a little bit funny that Charlize is taking over from Brad Pitt.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
They could make it so her eggs were harvested without her knowledge.
yes! Or some kind of brain washing- blackout type thing
Yes. Or that she was told they had died at birth. Making the protagonist female actually amplifies that plot point. There’s more betrayal and psychological distress to mine there. Yay Charlize!
Or she was told the children died in a “accident ” and raised by others. Her bosses felt that her being a parent(mother) was making her soft as a CIA assassin
Yeah, I like the idea of her character being told that her children were born still born or died after birth, when in reality they were kidnapped or something along those lines.
I’m liking your suggestions and I’m totally on board for Charlize as a kick-ass CIA assassin.
I think she was an assassin in Aeon Flux but that movie was a disappointment and I hope she gets to do much more in this movie.
All these ideas work! I’m in!
I Choose Me – Agree that Aeon Flux the movie was a big disappointment overall (although I did think Charlize was good casting). I LOVED the animated series so much. I was such a big fan of Liquid Television on MTV back in the day.
me, too, mia! Liquid TV was SOOOOO good.
I love this and I hope the studio is reading this. You have all given great plot ideas!!! Lol.
Oooo. That’s a good one. Or they could make it like a Bourne thing where they wipe her memory of having the kids.
you Celebitchy readers are freaking amazing, I would enjoy all those potential plot twists to explain the daughters
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Such creativity! Hollywood, take note. 🙂
Love her films. She’s a wonderful actress.
That’s what I figured. Either that or a (spoiler) War Inc kind of twist. Alternately they could be nieces, but that’s not SO emotional.
I loved her in Mad Max, but the most exciting part of this article for me is a script by the Russo brothers, yaaaaaas!
Yes, same!!! Charlize and a Russo brothers screenplay… Count me in!!!
I do like her – both as an actor and person. Good luck to her with the children.
Aweome. I would totally watch action films again/more with interesting female lead roles like this.
If there is another Mad Max movie ,Furiosa won’t be in the movie and apparently Warner Bros is not interested by a spin off on Furiosa so …Charlize as badass CIA is better than nothing
Too bad WB isn’t playing the momentum of Furiosa because it would become a sure hit. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Hardy wasn’t very happy to play supporting and possibly wasn’t game to do it again, and now he wants the lead, as it is supposed to be anyway the movie is called with his character’s name. Maybe that’s why he and Charlize crashed on set? Professional jealousy? I can imagine Miller doing that.
Nothing Hardy has ever said would make me think that he was jealous that he’s not the lead. He seems to pick movies for characters, and doesn’t seem to have a huge ego. And I think it was clear from the beginning that the future movies would focus on his character.
I think they crashed because Hardy (and I love him deeply as an actor) is difficult as hell on the movie set. He is talented, devoted to his art but maybe a bit too much…
I always think of Laurence Olivier/Dustin Hoffman kind of situation, where one side just roll their eyes and another is a little bit pissed because art and method.
Tom Hardy is an asshole.
But I think that’s always been the way with the Mad Max movies-he moves from place to place, and each film is with a different set of characters. I loved Fury Road, but there’s no reason they should change the formula.
+1
But this is why they should start a Furiosa franchise — let there be two heroes out there in the same “universe” and maybe every once in a while let them intersect — Max could “guest star” in Furiosa’s film(s) and Furiosa could make a brief appearance in Max’s.
yayyy so excited! This is good news all around. Love Charlize she’s amazing.
Great stuff
I love that she put on a little weight and looks healthier and softer than when she was with Penn, and with Penn being Penn, maybe his passive aggressiveness was that subtly abused her emotionally to bullied her and body shaming her to make her lose weight? I remember looking at her pictures and thinking she was way too skinny for her frame, and all those pap strolls to the gym, where she was nervous enough to be a beatch to the Mowry twin….she started to look too much as the previous Penn’s ex wives and we know Sean likes them blonde, fit and skinny.
Charlize is the very antithesis of Angelina. I can’t imagine Angelina keeping her details private, every important milestone in her life is played out on the front pages of People magazine.
More power to you Charlize. Wonder if she celebrated her latest success throwing back some cold ones in the company of Chelsea Handler.
Yeah Charlize is the antithesis of Angelina.
Angelina may tell her private details to the world but atleast she isn’t best friends with a racist despite having adopted two black children, dated a known women beater and is a well known bit*ch towards others.
This narrative of Chelsea Handler being a racist is tired. Charlize isn’t the only woman to date Sean Penn. You keep saying that like it means something.
Are you capable of liking any actress that isn’t Angelina? For all the defending you do for Jolie, you equally put down other women. That is the of the anti-thesis of what Angelina is all about, but I guess you are too blind in your devotion to see that.
@BETH
A better question is why the stalwart Jolie haters who reside here can’t read about any other successful actress without dragging Angelina into some fantasy competition where she gets her comeuppance, and proceeding to drag her for absolutely no reason.
I say no, they cannot resist..ever.
Why are u attacking her for defending Jolie against the usual suspect haters that rip her apart like clockwork here, and not attacking those that attacked Jolie?
Aren’t they ‘putting down women?’ ..didn’t they do it first? She’s just responding to what they said.
Or is Jolie some special case that can get ripped asunder in some bitter weird cat lady free for all?
You chastise her putting down women but you can’t chastise those putting down Jolie religiously here? alrighty then!
Dont look now, but that’s called bias and hypocrisy.
Chelsea Handler is best friends with most of Hollywood. She is no racist. She loves black men. Get off that, will you. Angelina and Charlize are both fierce women. Let’s empower instead of attacking one to make the other look bad.
@ Beth ignore the brangeloonies. They are incapable of speaking properly towards people who don’t bow down to their idols.
I agree that Charlize is the very opposite of Jolie. Jolie is not private no matter what her fans say. Wasn’t there a law passed in CA of how you can’t take pics of celebrities childrens? We still see pics of her kids more then any other celebritys. I do think its scary how we know more about their children then anyone elses.
@ Maya,
And AJ was married to a man whose daughter is in jail for killing her baby. Whats your point? Why bring up Charlizes pals and all? Are you capable of not insulting other women in order to make Jolie look good? You always do this. Grow up. This is why someone people don’t like Jolie or her fans. Its people like you who are so obsessed with a celebrity to the point of turning off others around them.
Please re-read the law about celebrity kids because it seems you don’t know what you are talking about. Photos are allowed as long as the paps are not harassing the kids.
When did you last see the Jolie-Pitt kids? Link please. You must be confusing them with the Afflecks.
Um Billy Bob’s daughter went to prison 4 years ago, thats 9 years AFTER they divorced so what’s your point?
Now if you check, you would notice that a Charlize fan is the one who brought up Angelina not Maya. Get your facts straight.
Exactly!
Plus even if I like very much AJ, there is no way she is in the same league as Charlize in terms of acting chops! Charlize is way way out of her league
Charlize has an Oscar and so does Jolie. So….
Do we need to compare though? Both are Oscar winners, one is still busy improving her acting and making good movies while the other is busy doing her UN Diplomat role and trying new things like Directing. Why can’t it be that ‘they’re both good in what they do’ instead of ‘the other is better’?
@lolz: so do sandra Bullock or Gwyneth Paltrow…. Oscars do not underline acting chops… they celebrate more how far you have come on the power’s ladder!!!
” UN Diplomat role ” since when???? I didn’t know that a UN ambassador was actually an actual diplomat!… diplomats are professionals, speaking several languages and with kick ass curriculars and academics… this is not something you can do on you spare time between movies!
I was talking exclusively about the abilities in the acting department and Charlize dominates without question AJ in that one: she got talent, range and courage in her choices, aside from liking AJ as a person when was her last good movie?
That’s why i said ‘UN Diplomat’. She was given the title of ‘Special Envoy’ – a first for UN which she is to take a diplomatic role at the UN refugee agency and will represent UN at a diplomatic level. And hasn’t she been in the UN for over a decade? I highly doubt you call that spare time hobby.
People have their own preferences when it comes to acting. Some people thinks JLaw gave an amazing performance in SLP and some don’t. Some people think Cate Blanchett was bad in Blue Jasmine and i thought she was fantastic. As for Theron and Jolie, they’re both not my cup of tea in the acting department for they both bore me with their acting ability so i can’t tell you which movie of Jolie nor Theron was a good one and the same reason why i don’t think one is better than the other when it comes to acting. Some people just have different taste. But i don’t see the need to pitt them against each other?
@Lolz: comparison and pitting against each other are 2 radical things, saying one is better than the other is not pitting 2 persons against each other.
Gosh these expression such as “bullying” and “pitting women against each other” are getting so annoying due to their overuse…
One more for the usual ‘hater’ suspects:
Cat ladies plz…Charlize just broke through and started making over 5 mil just a couple yrs ago.
Also…
Jlaw said she was getting Angelina’s cast offs, not anyone else’s…and she certainly didn’t mention Charlizzzze.
Wasn’t nobody mentioning Charlize, who by the way, even with the success of Mad Max (she was not at the top of the marquee on that one, hardy was) has never in her LIFE opened a film on the steam and strength of her own name as Angelina has successfully done repeatedly (which is why she gets the big and biggest bucks) Get real.
She wasn’t even on highest paid lists. lames like Aniston and her awful rom coms and ensemble comedies was making her eat dust, ditto people like Anne Hathaway and Emily blunt. Yet your laughinly trying to turn her into an Angelina Jolie? Muahaha. Staaahp.
So it’s quite hysterical you’re comparing her to Angelina Jolie who’s been on the mountain top for a decade, and is the same age as her.
Caro you should get your facts straight. Charlize earned 10 mil ten years ago and made the highest paid actresses list. lol.
@ Junior
You are wrong. Photos of celebs kids get are not allowed in CA unless there is permission from the parents. The fact that we still see pics of North West or the Jolie-Pitts must indicate that Kim and Kanye, Brad and Angelina are probably giving the okay to the paps to take pics of their kids.
That is the law here. I don’t think you are American or living in CA so you don’t know.
No I have not seen the Garner Affleck kids as much as the Jolie Pitt children. You are also wrong about that. I think its pretty scary how we know so much about those children.
The reason I brought up BBT daughter was to prove a point. If you are gonna criticize Charlize Theron for befriending Chelsea Handler( How is Charlize responsible for what Handler says and does?) Then I can bring up the fact that Jolie’s 2nd husband daughter in is jail for killing her baby.
Your constant worshiping of this woman, her 3rd husband and her family is quite disturbing. Stop it or seek some help.
@Caro: fame & Money are quite different from acting chops, yes AJ is fronting tabloids for various reasons… but we are the good films?
Isabelle Hupper or Fiona Shaw never won oscars, nor are overpaid HW actresses but nobody will make the crass mistake to compare them to say JLAW, who wishes she will achieve 5% of these ladies in her lifetime.
That’s was my comparison between Charlize and AJ, AJ wishes she can have the acting ability to pull off furious or Young adult…
But from your comment I get that fame and power ring way more for you than talent…if you even get talent…
Why are you acting like she took the role from Angelina? This has nothing to do with her at all. Angelina has been there done that with action movies.
Why act as if Angelina updates people magazine with her life every week? Also is there anyone out there interested in Charlize ‘s life so much that they would buy her magazine covers ?
Ps. At least Angelina has never compared fame with rape.
@Wentworth
+ A BILLION
@KOOKIELAMAR
The only reason why we don’t know more about Charlize is that no one cares. I always live the people who weigh in saying, oh such and such would never do this or that… I always wanna say, ‘Bish, ain’t no one asking them too!’
As for being the antithesis of Angelina…really? Let’s see:
Adopted a child? Check
Adopted while single? Check
Adopted a child from Africa while single? Check.
Signed up to be a UN Ambassador? Check.
Signed on to a fairy tale action part, AFTER news was already out that Angelina would be Maleficent (except Angie wasn’t playing third wheel to Thor and Below Swan who both got paid more.embarrassiiiiing. lol)
Signed on to try and be an action star? Check.
Signed on to a role originally meant for a male lead? Check.
All of these things Angelina did first and did best, which is why Charlize is trying to be a Johnny come lately copycat at 40. Lmao.
Also…
@KOOKIELAMAR
DON’T know where you’re getting that Charlize is so private, she’s been in the same mags as Angelina and done interviews talking about her relationships (Google it…interviews yammering on for days), her desire to be a mom, her mom shooting and killing her abusive dad….even talked about her latest fail of a relationship with Sean Penn….
..so where are you getting she’s ms. Privacy and doesn’t share her private life with the world?
You’re just saying shite to bash Angelina because your a hater. One of the vast many that’s made Angelina the worlwide superstar legend she is today
Only difference between Charlize and Angelina is that the public actually CARES about Angelina’s business.
That last remark is ageist. Brad Pitt is how old now? No one would think to bring up his age. I agree that Charlize has not been that private recently since she has spoken about Sean Penn. Still if Charlize had hooked up with Brad Pitt like Angelina did, you best believe more people would care too. It is best that they don’t. You buy her as an actress more. It is also laughable when people act like Angelina was the first star ever to adopt or do charity and anyone else who does it has to be copying her. Charlize was doing charity before she became as famous as she is today. She has always said she wanted a family. And every actress is playing a fairy tale character. Please, I doubt Charlize was even thinking about Angelina when she took on her part as the evil queen. Just because you always have Angelina on your mind doesn’t mean everyone else does.
Both women are incredible and special in their own way. Do people treat the male actors this way? Tear one down over the most superficial reasons to make another look good.
Wasn’t Angelina already famous before Brad? Besides, is Charlize interesting at all Brad or no Brad?
Angelina is also 40 too, and looks more like a 60 year old. Atleast Charlize looks healthy and fit.
And yet 60 year old lookalike has been offered more action roles than the healthy and fit one.
@ Junior
Jolie hasn’ t been offered more action roles then Charlize. Are you talking about the Tomb Raider movies from over 15 years ago? Salt was the very last action movie jolie has done so far and she was looking very frail and too thin in that movie. I could not take her seriously in that movie.
As for her looks, Jolie looks far older then her age sorry to say. The woman used to be very beautiful but not anymore Sorry, but Charlize is the one who is getting more action roles. Have you even seen Mad Max? She is excellent in the role and belieable.
She gave life to Mad Max. She is prettier, sexier, a better actor, etc. etc. than Brad Pitt could ever hope to be….even with her shaved head. Love her…..
Umm Charlize is a woman while Brad is a man if you haven’t noticed.
Don’t see the point of comparing their looks and sexiness.
@ Maya I can totally see it, you can compare hotness. And she wears him out hands down!
Since we’re comparing on this thread I think Brad is a good looking man who is a decent actor. When I look at Charlize all I see is an average looking, ok as an actress, Ice Queen of Mean. I didn’t see anything so amazing about her in Fury Road.
Charlize is a C u next Tuesday she prove that by dating Sean Penn.
This will prove if Charlize can be considered an action heroine like Angelina, Milla, Scarlet, Kate etc because these women sold the action movies solely by their names.
Charlize hasn’t had the best box office as action heroine – remember Aeon Flux?
As I stated up thread, I was a big fan of Aeon Flux the animated series and had high hopes for the movie. But the material and feel of the series was always going to be hard to replicate in a real film version.
I actually think Charlize was pretty good (and has only improved as an actress in the past 10 years). The real problem with the film was more about the direction and story. The film was just kinda boring compared to the series. It was a shame because there were quite a few other good actors in the film as well (like Frances McDormand and Johnny Lee Miller).
Anyway, I don’t put the lack of box office for that movie on her shoulders – aside from issues with the film, she wasn’t the name then that she is now. But sure, any action film at this point in her career will definitely ride on her shoulders.
Yup, this. Charlize did what she could with an absolutely awful script and direction. Fury Road had a good script and director, she was just as promoted as Hardy and was even more protagonic. The movie was a critical and financial hit. Charlize can pull off action roles.
Agree one hundred percent. I loved the anime series too mia girl.
Uh she has already been considered an action hero for a while thanks to movies like Mad Max, Prometheus and Snow White. Lets not forget the 2003 movie the Italian Job. She was in that one too. Charlize has pretty amazing resume. Better then Jolie’s.
Plot fix . She gave up her daughter(s) to adoption to protect them from her dangerous job and enemies.
As the esteemed philosopher Drake said, What a Time to be Alive.
I’d be much more likely watching an action movie starring Charlize than Brad Pitt!
Me too!
Me too! She’s one of my favorite actresses, and I like that she’s able to pull off pretty much every genre. She’s thoroughly believable as an action star, and I think will be great in this role.
Superficial comment: the dress in the top photo needs some serious tailoring.
Not excited over this. Female action roles are usually one note, but Furiosa makes me a bit hopeful. Or maybe I just don’t like action movies.
Isn’t the point that it *isn’t* a female action role though?
Action roles are one-note in general, regardless of the protagonist’s gender. But people tend to notice that more in the rare instances it’s a female lead. Wonder why.
I actually like that. I enjoy campy and dumb action movies. I adore all Resident Evil films for the campy messes they are. Lucy was hilarious. I watch Salt whenever it’s on TV. Men can get away with a dumb action movie, why is it that with the female leads they have to make sure they are more developed and interesting? Explosions and fights without substance are only entertaining when performed by men?
I cannot buy Evelyn Salt flailing her super long twig like limbs can take down grown ass men. Casting should be belivable. It’ll help when stop sexualizing female protagonists in action movies. It’ll also help if they start doing their own stunts a la Emily Blunt and Rougue Nation agent, sotry don,t know her name.
If you use Google you will discover that Angelina Jolie does her stunts herself…. Most of it anyway….
I wonder what Angelina ever did to you… You just go about bashing her left and right.
I wonder what Charlize ever did to you in order to slam her in every way possible to make Jolie good. Stop acting like Jolie the ho is a victim. She is not.
I love this. More women should be action hero’s in films. Well, lead action hero’s!!! Yay! She is beautiful and tough. I dig it.
YAAAAAAASSSSS CHARLIZE YAAAAAAAAASSSS. So down for this. Make it happen!! Make it happen NOW.
Charlize and Angelina are my favorite female movie stars because they have such strong charisma onscreen and don’t care about being America’s Sweetheart. They are a throwback to the tough, fierce women of old like Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, and Barbara Stanwyck. I dream of seeing them in a movie together.
Charlize I think makes the best female action star of them all because her acting chops are incredible enough to bring substance to her roles, and at the same time I actually believe she can beat up a dude. Women like her intimidate people and get called ice queens but I think she’s a badass. Furiosa rules!
People come in all shapes and sizes. Just because they are thin doesn’t mean they are weak and can’t beat up someone.
The CIA are murdering scum. Why would anyone want to associate themselves with them?
HELL YEAH