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Tag: Angelina Jolie

  • Angelina Jolie wins legal battle against ex-husband Brad Pitt over French winery

    By ANI

    LOS ANGELES: Angelina Jolie has won a legal battle against her former husband Brad Pitt in their war over the Chateau Miraval winery where they got married in 2014.

    As per Page Six, the pair took control of the renowned rose company in 2008 when they moved into the chateau that sits on its Provencal vineyard and Pitt has been toiling over the breathtaking buildings and grounds ever since.

    But Jolie sold her stake to liquor giant Stoli — setting in motion a Byzantine web of lawsuits in the US, France and Luxembourg between Pitt, Jolie, their respective businesses and various business partners.

    And now Angelina’s legal team has subpoenaed documents from Pitt as well as his company and his business manager on July 22.

    A judge in LA said that Pitt and his partners must fork them over to the opposing lawyers — and said that they can’t even hold off until they appeal the decision.

    Sources close to the “Maleficent” star’s business operation told Page Six that Pitt’s letting his anger over their vicious split get in the way of common business sense.

    “Any rational human being would be happy for Stoli to [be a partner in their business.] They have top-notch marketing and distribution,” the source said, noting that the firm offers huge opportunities for the business to grow.

    “He just can’t see past his hatred of Jolie,” they continued.

    Pitt and Jolie, who separated in 2016, have six children together. 

    LOS ANGELES: Angelina Jolie has won a legal battle against her former husband Brad Pitt in their war over the Chateau Miraval winery where they got married in 2014.

    As per Page Six, the pair took control of the renowned rose company in 2008 when they moved into the chateau that sits on its Provencal vineyard and Pitt has been toiling over the breathtaking buildings and grounds ever since.

    But Jolie sold her stake to liquor giant Stoli — setting in motion a Byzantine web of lawsuits in the US, France and Luxembourg between Pitt, Jolie, their respective businesses and various business partners.

    And now Angelina’s legal team has subpoenaed documents from Pitt as well as his company and his business manager on July 22.

    A judge in LA said that Pitt and his partners must fork them over to the opposing lawyers — and said that they can’t even hold off until they appeal the decision.

    Sources close to the “Maleficent” star’s business operation told Page Six that Pitt’s letting his anger over their vicious split get in the way of common business sense.

    “Any rational human being would be happy for Stoli to [be a partner in their business.] They have top-notch marketing and distribution,” the source said, noting that the firm offers huge opportunities for the business to grow.

    “He just can’t see past his hatred of Jolie,” they continued.

    Pitt and Jolie, who separated in 2016, have six children together. 

  • Salma Hayek, Demian Bichir to star in Angelina Jolie’s directorial ‘Without Blood’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie is set to direct her “Eternals” co-star Salma Hayek and Demian Bichir in her upcoming film “Without Blood”.

    The feature film is Jolie’s fifth effort as a director and her first project under a new pact with TV giant Fremantle.

    According to Deadline, the movie is currently being shot in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy.

    Jolie has penned the film and is also producing.

    It is based on Alessandro Baricco’s international bestselling novel of the same name.

    It is a fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict in a farmhouse deep in the Italian countryside.

    “I’m honoured 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 said.

    “Without Blood” is produced by Fremantle, Jolie Productions, Fremantle-backed The Apartment Pictures and De Maio Entertainment.

    Jolie has previously directed films “In the Land of Blood and Honey”, “Unbroken”, “By the Sea” and “First They Killed My Father”.

  • Angelina Jolie to direct ‘Without Blood’

    By Express News Service

    It has been announced that Angelina Jolie will be directing Without Blood, an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s bestselling novel by the same name. The film will mark Jolie’s return to direction after the 2017 historical thriller, First They Killed My Father. Jolie will also be producing Without Blood.

    According to reports, the film is the first in a three-year international agreement between Jolie and the production company, Fremantle. She is also expected to direct, produce and act in more projects from the production house.

    Without Blood will tell the story of a girl who survives a massacre at her farmhouse when one of the attackers spares her – a decision which haunts him his whole life.

  • Angelina Jolie signs multi-year deal with Fremantle, first project announced 

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: American actor, director and humanitarian Angelina Jolie has signed a multi-year deal with TV giant Fremantle. Under the deal, Jolie will make feature films, documentaries and series for the production company.

    Jolie and Fremantle will develop a “sophisticated, powerful, and internationally focused slate of feature films, documentaries, and original series in which she will produce, direct, and/or star – based on each individual project,” the company said in a statement, reported Variety. 

    Talking about the new pact, Jolie said, “To have the freedom to tell important stories and bring them to a global audience is at the heart of this agreement with Fremantle. I am excited to be working with such a passionate and forward-looking team that has an international perspective.”

    The first project under the agreement is ‘Without Blood’, which Jolie will direct and produce this May in Italy. Jolie has adapted the script from the bestselling novel of the same name by Alessandro Baricco, a fable about war, revenge, memory, and healing.

    The rest of the upcoming projects including documentaries and original series will be announced soon.

    Coming back to Jolie, she made her directorial debut with the 2007 documentary ‘A Place in Time’, followed by the feature ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’ in 2011. On the acting front, Jolie was last seen in the 2021 film ‘Eternals’. 

  • Brad Pitt sues ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling winery they jointly owned

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Oscar winner Brad Pitt and ex-wife Angelina Jolie are yet again embroiled in a legal battle as the former has sued the latter for selling her interest in a winery they jointly owned, to a Russian oligarch.According to the legal documents obtained by TMZ, the two bought Chateau Miraval in Correns, France back in 2008.

    Brad says he invested a ton of money and time in the winery over the years, although he acknowledges Angelina plunked down 40 per cent of the USD 28.4 million purchase price.

    Brad says he alone made the winery successful because by 2013 she wasn’t doing much in that department. He claims they always had an understanding neither of them could sell off their interest without the other’s consent.For the unversed, Angelina filed for divorce in 2016 and it became super contentious.

    Last July, the ‘Maleficent’ actor went to court and told the judge she had reached an agreement to sell her interest to an unnamed person.On the other hand, Brad says in September he agreed to allow Angelina to pursue the sale but made it clear that he was not consenting to the sale, but rather would give thumbs up or down to the proposed buyer.

    As per TMZ, Brad claims that in October he was shocked to learn a company called Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group (the vodka co.)- controlled by a Brad PittRussian oligarch, Yuri Shefler, bought her interest in the winey.He claims that Angelina never sought his consent and intentionally kept the terms of the deal from him. Brad says Shefler has wreaked havoc on his ability to run the winery.

    A source close to Brad told TMZ, “Unfortunately, this is another example of the same person disregarding her legal and ethical obligations. In doing so, she has violated the rights of the only person who poured money and sweat equity into the success of the business by purporting to sell both the business and family home to a third-party competitor.”

    “She is seeking a return on an investment she did not make and profits she did not earn,” the source added.Insiders told TMZ that Brad now wants the judge to undo the deal. He also wants damages. 

  • Angelina Jolie shares emotional letter sent to her from young Afghan girl

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has called on her social media followers to be aware of atrocities being committed in Afghanistan.

    Jolie took to her Instagram handle on Saturday and shared a personal letter she received from a young woman in the country. The letter was blurred out to not reveal the girl’s identity.

    The 46-year-old actor and humanitarian began the caption of her post by writing, “A young woman in #Afghanistan sent me this letter. I’m protecting her identity, but she hasn’t been able to go back to school since the Taliban seized power.”

    Noting that women in Afghanistan are “being arrested simply for taking part in peaceful protests,” Jolie said the young girl wrote, “I might never be able to go outside again or even be able to speak as I am a girl.”

    She then shared another extract from the young woman’s letter. “I feel like women don’t have any right to speak or put their word forward,” the unidentified female wrote to the mother of six.

    “The rights of the woman are taken away from them and they are not allowed to do anything in the country,” she added.

    The woman who wrote the letter to Jolie then detailed an instance from a “few weeks back when the Taliban arrested two of the women who raised their voices in order to ask for the rights of woman and freedom.”

    Expressing that the instance left her shocked and dismayed, the woman said, “I just thought, that this is the end.”

    The actor closed out her caption with a plea that read, “Please track what is happening in Afghanistan, where young women are being taken from their homes at night at gunpoint and disappeared, and new restrictions are being imposed on the freedom of women and girls day by day.”

    “Please help ensure they’re not forgotten,” Jolie concluded her post, which also highlighted women’s rights activists who are “missing” in Afghanistan. These included Alia Azizi, Parwana Ibrahimkhel, Mursal Ayar, and Zahra Mohammadi, plus Tamana Zaryab Paryani and her three sisters.

    As per people magazine, back in August, Jolie had made her Instagram debut to share a different letter from another young woman who expressed her fears for the future after the Taliban had taken over Afghanistan.

    In the letter, the young unidentified woman detailed how she and many others were living in fear, expressing “all our dreams are gone.”

    In response, Jolie, who is a former U.N. goodwill ambassador, and has worked with refugees in past years, noted that she would remain active in her fight to aid the Afghan women, “Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.” 

  • Angelina Jolie calls her ‘Eternals’ character a troubled soul

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, who essays the role of Thena in Chloe Zhao’s superhero film ‘Eternals’, describes her character as someone who is not very comfortable during peacetime and this trait emanates from the moral injury of the character.

    Due to her special ability to manipulate cosmic energy to augment her life force which grants her virtual invulnerability and immortality, Thena is known for being a social misfit. Commenting on this, Angelina says, “Thena is like a soldier who is affected by the memories of battle and has PTSD or moral injury to live with. Thena just assumes that a fight’s coming at her rather than care and kindness.”

    Talking about the complexities of her character, Angelina says, “So she’s quite wired, and a lot of her struggle is just holding on to her mind and her center and her peace. I understand her, and how she feels.”

    She further adds, “Thena is not comfortable in peacetime. She doesn’t know how to exist as a civilian or as a lover or as a friend, but she does know war. She knows who she is in combat. But she doesn’t know how to go to a party or socialise. She just doesn’t have those skills.”

    ALSO READ: Angelina Jolie calls those angry by ‘Eternals’ same-sex relationship as ‘ignorant’

    The film, which features an ensemble of Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and Kumail Nanjiani, is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

  • I don’t strive to be balanced and perfect: Angelina Jolie

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie says she’s someone who questions herself a lot but as she gets older, she has come to embrace her emotions and vulnerabilities as parts that make her more human and empathetic.

    The 46-year-old actor, who stars as superhero Thena in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Eternals”, said her character in the movie is somewhat similar to who she is in real life and that was one of the reasons for her to board the Chloe Zhao-directed multi-starrer movie.

    “I’m somebody who questions herself often, and I don’t walk around with confidence that I’m ever good enough or strong enough,” Jolie said in response to a question from PTI during a Zoom roundtable interview.

    “But I’ve come to see as I’ve got older that those parts of me that are very emotional and vulnerable are also what make me very real and in tune to my children or in tune to someone else or a stranger to be empathetic. And to have my own parts that are broken. I hope it’s made me a better person. So, I don’t strive to be balanced and perfect,” the two-time Academy Award winner further said.

    Jolie’s new film revolves around Eternals, an alien race living on earth for over 7,000 years who team up to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

    This allowed Marvel to introduce 10 never-seen-before superheroes, played by some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Jolie, Salma Hayek, ”Game of Thrones” stars Richard Madden and Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani and Don Lee.

    Drawing parallels between Thena, a warrior, and herself, Jolie said they both are people who would “fight to the end” for the ones they love.

    “Now, I kind of embrace these things that make us very real and human, (they) are in fact our strengths. And so yes, I’m very much like Thena. I am both that person that can be raw, feel broken, vulnerable, but I’m also that person who will fight to the end with everything I’ve got for those I love.”

    The actor, who has featured in some of the biggest films in Hollywood be it “Lara Croft”, “Girl, Interrupted”, “Wanted”, “Salt”, “A Mighty Heart” and “Changeling”, said she loved the fact that “Eternals” reflects the real world with its diverse cast.

    “It kind of came out of the blue and they sat me in a room and explained to me that this stage of Marvel was going to be the most diverse and inclusive and this representation of this new family. I was so excited that they were doing that and I just wanted to support it and be a part of it in any way I could,” the actor said.

    Jolie said she was drawn to the Marvel Studios’ project because of her diverse family, which includes her three adopted and three biological children Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne with former husband, actor Brad Pitt.

    “Obviously, with my own family, I’m a big believer in love and diversity and see every day the strength that comes from and the deeper understanding of each other. So I was really drawn to that (the film) for that reason.”

    Asked about her decision to do more family-friendly movies in recent years, the “Maleficent” actor said it was born out of a desire to reach out to children around the world.

    The actor, also a human rights activist who has directed movies “In the Land of Blood and Honey” and “First They Killed My Father”, said she may be drawn to family-friendly films because of her children but it is also about “communicating with audiences”.

    “So when you do a big family-friendly film, you make children smile and you make friends in different countries,” she said.

    “Eternals” released in Indian theatres on November 5 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

  • My ‘Eternals’ pitch to Marvel boss Kevin Feige had a William Blake poem: Director Chloe Zhao

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloe Zhao says her pitch to Marvel boss Kevin Feige for directing “Eternals” began with a poem by William Blake because she wanted to make a superhero film whose scale was “as large as the creation of the sun” and yet as intimate as “whispers of lovers”.

    The 25th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), “Eternals” introduces audiences to 10 never-seen-before superheroes, played by some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, “Game of Thrones” stars Richard Madden and Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani and Don Lee.

    Zhao quipped that despite her unusual pitch, she was still “allowed to stay in the room”.

    “Well, it started with me showing him (Feige) a macro photo of sand and then quoting a poem from William Blake. I still was allowed to stay in the room so it was really nice. But in that poem, William Blake was trying to convey that you can see the endless beauty and the meanings of the cosmos within the smallest things you can find on Earth,” Zhao revealed in a virtual global press conference on Tuesday night from Los Angeles, which was also attended by PTI.

    The 39-year-old director, known for her humane stories set against sweeping vistas such as “Songs my Brothers Taught Me”, “The Rider” and Oscar-winning film “Nomadland”, said she wanted to go big scale-wise while retaining the intimate tone of the story.

    “The vision of the film was to set out to capture that scale, something as large as the creation of the sun, and as intimate as whispers of lovers. So, going on location, doing this kind of immersive shoot, having the support and understanding of this amazing cast was kind of how we got here today,” she added.

    Feige said with “Eternals” MCU wanted to take a “bold new step”. “…In a post Infinity Saga world, we wanted to make a bold new step and say, ‘You don’t know everything about the universe yet’. And that there are these 10 spectacular heroes who you haven’t met, who’ve been here the whole time’,” the producer said.

    The Eternals are an alien race living on Earth for over 7,000 years who team up to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. Jolie plays an elite Eternal in Thena and the actor said she was a fan of the MCU and director Zhao.

    “I just wanted to be a part of this family before I even knew very much about who I was going to play. But as I learned about Thena and that’s one of the special things that Chloe brings to this is…she’s known for bringing reality to a film, somebody’s true self,” the Hollywood star said.

    “So a lot of us were cast to bring out something from our own lives, something within ourselves that maybe we weren’t even aware of. And then let it live and let it grow within the film,” she added. Jolie said in her storied filmography of diverse roles, Thena was the most fantastic role and “yet my children said she was the most like me that they’ve seen”.

    “Crazy Rich Asians” star Chan said her character of Sersie may not be the best of fighters but has the superpower of “empathy and real affinity” towards the human race. “It’s kind of coming of age even though she’s kind of 1000s of years old, but she learns to trust herself and to grow into her own power really,” added the actor, who has previously starred in MCU’s “Captain Marvel”.

    Madden, whose character has a love triangle with Chan and his “GOT” co-star Kit Harington, said he is used to doing romance on screen but what was different with Ikaris was that all the decisions made by his character are driven by love. “He’s kind of trying to bury that love because it gets in the way of his duty and he’s constantly wrestling the two,” he said.

    Harington said his role of Dane Whitman, a human who works at the Natural History Museum in London and is dating Sersi, is a “nice, cool guy” and represents humanity. Asked about working with Madden again, Harington said though they have been friends for a long time now, their screen time on “Eternals” was “very little”.

    “I just want more,” he added, reminding fans about how Madden’s “GOT” role of Robb Stark and his character of Jon Snow had separate journeys despite growing up as brothers in Winterfell. “And one thing I really respect him (Dane) for is that a man (Ikaris) flies out of the sky, shoots lasers out of his eyes, steals his girlfriend (Sersie) and he’s kind of cool with it,” Harington joked.

    Actor Brian Tyree Henry, whose character of Phastos is the first superhero to be depicted as gay in an MCU film, said he trusted Zhao “wholeheartedly”. The “Atlanta” star said he was attracted to the character because Phastos, a weapons and technology inventor, chose love over everything he has been through.

    “It really resonated a lot with how I felt my place in society was. How, you know, we can be kings and queens and at the same time, they’ll take our pedestal and take our superpowers from us like that,” he said.

    Henry said he thought he would be asked to lose weight for the role but the director surprised him by saying, “we want you exactly as you are”. Feige said it was important to have a diverse cast for the film as “you can’t do the history of humanity without the heroes looking like a cross-section of humanity”.

    “Train to Busan” star Don Lee, who plays Eternal Gilgamesh, was also impressed with the “great, diverse cast from all over the world”. Also starring Barry Keoghan, Lia McHugh and Laura Ridloff, “Eternals” is set for release in Indian theatres on November 5 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

  • ‘There was never an assault’: Harvey Weinstein denies accusations by Angelina Jolie

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Disgraced Hollywood mogul and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has said that he never assaulted Angelina Jolie after she recently claimed in a new interview she had to “escape” an encounter with the disgraced movie mogul.

    Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year sentence for rape and battery responded in a statement to TMZ via his assistant on Saturday. He said, “THERE WAS NEVER an assault, and NEVER an attempt to assault.”

    The statement continued, “It is brazenly untrue and clickbait publicity. You’re Angelina Jolie, every male and female in the world, I’m sure, shows interest in you. Is the whole world assaulting you?”

    The heated response from Weinstein comes after the actor described her alleged prior experience with him as “beyond a pass” while promoting her upcoming book, ‘Know Your Rights’, to a news outlet in an interview published on Saturday. “It’s very clear to me that this is for more sales on Angie’s BOOK,” Weinstein added in his statement.

    In the interview, Jolie, who starred in Weinstein’s ‘Playing By Heart’ when she was 21 said she told her first husband, Jonny Lee Miller, about the alleged incident.

    “I stayed away and warned people about him. I remember telling Jonny, my first husband, who was great about it, to spread the word to other guys, don’t let girls go alone with him,” Jolie shared. She added that she was asked to do 2004’s ‘The Aviator’ but said no because Weinstein was involved.

    Jolie’s claims about Weinstein came out while she was discussing the ongoing issues she had with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, that eventually led to their marriage ending.

    The ‘Maleficent’ star claimed that Pitt asked Weinstein to be a producer on his film ‘Killing Them Softly’, a film The Weinstein Company later distributed. “We fought about (Weinstein’s involvement). Of course it hurt,” Jolie shared.

    However, another one of Pitt’s exes, Gwyneth Paltrow, had a completely different experience after Weinstein allegedly invited her, then just 22 years old, back to his hotel room and suggested they get massages in the bedroom.

    Pitt allegedly confronted Weinstein at a movie premiere and physically threatened the producer which, at the time, was a huge risk for the up and coming actor. Plan B productions, Pitt’s company, is also working on a film about reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who helped take down Weinstein with their Pulitzer Prize-winning report.

    Jolie first opened up about the alleged incident with Weinstein in 2017, claiming he’d made “unwanted advances” toward her in a hotel room. “I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did. This behaviour towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable,” Jolie told a news outlet at the time, as per Fox News.