Angelina Jolie Embarks on a New Film Project

After five years, Angelina Jolie is back to directing. The Oscar winner will lead the Without Blood project, based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Italian author Alessandro Baricco.

Jolie will direct and write the film, with production under the Fremantle and Jolie Production labels. According to Variety, the film will address "universal truths about war, trauma, memory, and healing."

Salma Hayek, who recently shared the screen with Jolie in Marvel's Eternals, and Demián Bichir will star in the film.

In the interview with Variety, the actress explained that she is in Italy to bring the material to the cinema screens.  “I’m honored to be here in Italy to bring this very special material to film, and to have been entrusted by Alessandro Baricco with the adaptation of his book — with its unique poetry and emotion and way of looking at war, and the questions it poses about what we search for after trauma or loss or injustice," Jolie told the magazine.

According to the official synopsis, the book is "an unforgettable tale about the brutality of war - and one girl's quest for revenge and healing."

Without Blood is the first project of Jolie's three-year international contract with Fremantle.

In March, the actress and Fremantle signed a three-year deal that will see Jolie develop a series of "internationally focused" films, documentaries, and series. The Mr. & Mrs. Smith star will produce, direct, or star in the projects. "Having the freedom to tell important stories and bring them to a global audience is at the heart of this agreement with Fremantle," she said in a statement at the time.

The last time Jolie directed a film was in 2017 with First They Killed My Father.