Angelina Jolie to direct 'Without Blood' starring Salma Hayek, Demian Bichir

Angelina Jolie is set to wear multiple hats for her upcoming film Without Blood as she will write, direct and produce the feature which stars Salma Hayek Pinault and Demian Bichir.

Jolie is making the film with super-indie Fremantle, with which she struck a three-year international filmmaking agreement in March. The principal shoot of the film already has begun in the Puglia (Apulia) and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome. The film, Angelina’s fifth directorial, is based on the international-bestselling novel of the same name by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, and set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict. It’s billed as exploring “universal truths about war, trauma, memory and healing.” Hayek Pinault and Bichir will star alongside an international cast and production team.

Jolie said in a statement, “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.” — IANS