Director Philip Noyce explained that the gender change in 'Salt' doesn't affect the core plot of the story though it does lead to the changing of the action thriller movie's tone.
- Jun 23, 2009
AceShowbiz - Director Phillip Noyce has finally addressed the gender change issue of "Salt". In an interview with Dark Horizons, the 59-year-old filmmaker spilled the bean on what really happens behind the lead character's gender change and how far it affects the action thriller's story.
"Tom wasn't prepared to commit to the script as it was - I mean, his main fears were that the character was too close to Ethan Hunt [Tom's character in 'Mission: Impossible'], being a rogue spy, with extraordinary abilities," he first discussed about what made Tom Cruise out of the project. "So over many months, we tried to twist and turn the story to differentiate the character of Edwin Salt from Ethan Hunt. But, you know, he had a valid point."
Explaining that the project then went into hiatus, Noyce noted that Sony Pictures' co-chairman Amy Pascal suggested to give the script to Angelina Jolie and create a female spy franchise. "Then in September last year, Kurt Wimmer, myself, and the producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, went to the South of France to visit Angelina at her home there, where she lives with her kids and Brad [Pitt]," he recalled.
As for the changes done, the director of "The Quiet American" insisted that the core ideas of the movie remain the same. "The locomotive of ideas that drive the movie are the same," he stated. "An undercover CIA operative is accused of being a Russian mole, and has to go on the run to defend themselves. That's been the same since day one."
Though so, he pointed out that the tone has undergone an adjustment. "The tone of the film has changed in this evolution," he said. "In the same way, I guess, as - you know - action thrillers have changed along the lines of the Bond films and the Bourne films. Bond used to be almost cartoonish but now, you can take those Bond stories very seriously, on a dramatic and emotional level."
"Salt" centers its story on Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy and out to assassinate the president. Now, she must elude capture long enough to establish her innocence and prove that someone else is the traitor. Angelina Jolie took over the role which was intended for Tom Cruise.
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash, the movie will also feature the likes of Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The script was written by Kurt Wimmer and Brian Helgeland, while the movie itself will see the U.S. big screen on July 23, 2010.
