Academy Award-winning actress Ms. Angelina Jolie, aged 50, is set to reunite with director Mr. Doug Liman for the forthcoming motion picture The Initiative, a spy thriller scripted by Mr. F. Scott Frazier. The project marks Ms. Jolie’s first collaboration with Mr. Liman since the 2005 feature Mr. and Mrs. Smith, on which she met her former spouse, Mr. Brad Pitt.
In The Initiative, Ms. Jolie will portray “Bright,” a rogue master spy. The narrative has been described as “Training Day set in the world of spycraft” and follows the character Bright as she leads a newly appointed operative, Charlie, into situations that raise uncertainty as to whether she intends to eliminate him or is instead prepared to employ any means necessary to safeguard global security.
The announcement follows Ms. Jolie’s performance in the 2024 biographical drama Maria, in which she portrayed opera singer Maria Callas, as well as her roles in Marvel’s 2021 feature Eternals and in both installments of the Maleficent franchise. The project generated competitive bidding among multiple film studios, given Ms. Jolie’s established commercial success in prior action thrillers such as Salt, Wanted, and The Tourist. Universal Pictures ultimately secured distribution rights, with principal photography scheduled to commence in early 2026.
The development coincides with reports that Ms. Jolie intends to divest her Los Angeles residence and relocate abroad, thereby joining a growing list of high-profile entertainers departing Hollywood. According to People, Ms. Jolie is evaluating several potential overseas locations and plans to place the property on the market when her youngest children—twins Knox and Vivienne—attain the age of majority in 2026.
Ms. Jolie shares six children with Mr. Pitt: Maddox (24), Pax (21), Zahara (20), Shiloh (19), and the twins Knox and Vivienne (17). A source cited by People stated that Ms. Jolie “never intended to reside in Los Angeles permanently” but was constrained to do so by custodial arrangements stemming from her protracted divorce from Mr. Pitt, which was resolved in December 2024 after eight years of litigation. The source further indicated that Ms. Jolie “will be very pleased” to leave Los Angeles.
The residence in question—purchased by Ms. Jolie in 2017 for $24.5 million—has been described as a historic architectural landmark. The estate comprises six bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a library, extensive landscaped gardens, a swimming pool, a pool house with a fitness room, a tea house, and period features including arched fountains. It was previously owned by director Mr. Cecil B. DeMille, who acquired it in 1916 for under $28,000, later expanding the property by purchasing and integrating an adjacent residence formerly owned by actor Mr. Charlie Chaplin.
Ms. Jolie is reportedly undertaking minor improvements to the estate prior to its listing. Newsafro.com has contacted her representatives for comment.
In a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ms. Angelina Jolie publicly expressed her intention to relocate from Los Angeles upon the attainment of legal adulthood by her and Mr. Brad Pitt’s six children. She stated:
“I grew up in this town [Los Angeles]. I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave.”
Ms. Jolie elaborated that, as the parent of a large family, she prioritizes “privacy, peace, [and] safety” for her children. She explained that while she maintains a residence in Los Angeles for the purpose of raising them, she perceives a diminished sense of humanity in the environment compared with her experiences abroad. Upon her youngest children reaching the age of majority, she intends to spend “a lot of time in Cambodia” and to travel in order to visit family members residing internationally.
Ms. Jolie’s anticipated relocation would place her among other prominent entertainment figures who have departed Los Angeles in recent years, including Ms. Natalie Portman, Mr. Mark Wahlberg, Ms. Eva Longoria, Ms. Ellen DeGeneres and Ms. Portia de Rossi, Ms. Sophie Turner, and Ms. Rosie O’Donnell.
Separate reports indicate that Ms. Jolie is experiencing personal difficulty with respect to the next stage of her daughter Shiloh’s life. At age 19, Shiloh is reported to have moved out of the family home to reside temporarily with Mr. Keoni Rose, a professional dancer and alleged romantic partner, for the summer season. This follows Shiloh’s legal removal of Mr. Pitt’s surname amid reported familial estrangement. Exclusive photographic evidence obtained by the Daily Mail appears to corroborate the relocation, depicting the pair embracing outside a jointly occupied condominium in Los Angeles.
The reported move occurs in the context of heightened security concerns in Ms. Jolie’s neighborhood, following the arrest of an alleged trespasser earlier this year.#newsafro_
