Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John Galt and Dagny Taggart?
New Individualist editor Robert Bidinotto reports that Lionsgate is moving forward with its plans to produce the Atlas Shrugged movie:
According to Variety, “Ray” producers Howard and Karen Baldwin believe they’ve cracked the challenge of turning the 1,100 page novel “Atlas Shrugged” into a manageable feature. Lionsgate has acquired worldwide distribution.
And reportedly both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are very interested in the project:
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been linked to the film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s bestselling novel ‘Atlas Shrugged’.
Variety reports that the couple are rumoured to be considering starring as lead characters Dagny Taggart and John Galt.
‘Atlas Shrugged’ tells the story of the economic collapse of the US in the future when American industrialists go on strike and retreat to a hideaway in the mountains.
The book espouses Rand’s philosophy of objectivism, which the author described as: “the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”
Both Pitt and Jolie are fans of Rand’s work.
Lionsgate Films, who like to keep their films under a $25M budget, are looking to spend north of $30M for Atlas Shrugged.
Bidinotto promises that “The New Individualist WILL have exclusive, behind-the-scenes news and interviews with the principals about this coming project in the very near future. (John Aglialoro, who owns the screen rights, is a co-executive producer on the project, and also serves on the Board of The Objectivist Center — the publisher of The New Individualist.)”
YOU ARE DOING A FATAL MISTAKE ! I am not sure if the concerned people would be reading this but I consider myself one of Ayn Rand’s dedicated fans. Brad Pitt and Angelina are the WORST possible cast for such a brilliant and intelligent story. You will ruin what Ayn Rand is to her fans.. there will not be a powerful Dagny Taggart anymore nor a mystic John Galt, you will actually RUIN the charecters of this great novel. The cast should be upcoming or amateur actors who are not linked to any publicity scandals or associated with any negative reputations in real life. Please for the sake of her soul, do not ruin such beautiful work of art by casting the cheesiest people on earth! This is an irreversable mistake. Please I and all of Rand’s fans beg you not to destroy her work!
i think it’s brilliant casting. they’re talented and i believe would take this role more seriously than any they’ve done previous. what wonderful arrogance to speak for all of Rand’s fans. just so happens Mr Pitt and Ms Jolie are beatuiful looking people. we shouldn’t hold that against them.
Brad Pitt would be okay in any of the roles but, Angelina as Dagny is AWFUL! She is soooo wrong for that part. I am a fan of Angelina’s work most of the time but, She’s more suited for Reardon’s Wife than Dagny. Dagny is not someone who focuses on her looks. She is a goal oriented, strong, confident woman. Angelina plays roles of women who are crazy or unstable, angry or sarcastic. Her intensity is all wrong! If she wants to do a Ayn Rand book have her be Dominique in The Fountainhead. She’d be great at that - almost perfect for it actually and Brad Pitt would be a great Roark. If you are doing Atlas Shrugged please for the love of god get Kate Blanchette for the role of Dagny!! She would blow everyone out of the water.
Cate Blanchett would be a good cast, but not Jolie. Dagny is iconic, it would have to be someone less controversial, so the story shines. Although Brad Pitt is lovely, he’s not John Galt. A legendary character needs a good actor, Ralph Fiennes, Sean Penn or Johnny Depp add a bit of mystery. Honestly, I’m disappointed that there going through with this. Hollywood slatters the best books. How they can possibly make a 2-3 hour feature film about it and do any type of justice is beyond me.
I don’t know if a movie based on “Atlas Shrugged” would sell. The novel “Atlas Shrugged” was written in the aftermarh of World War II. I don’t know if a modern audience could relate to it. Besides, Hollywood always makes so many changes that usually there are few similarities between a book and a movie. If Hank Rearden, Dagny Taggart, et al., could see the phenomenon of the novel “Atlas Shrugged” being adapted into a movie that hardly resembles it, followed by that movie being a box-office flop, they might be disappointed.
Actually, Jolie would make a perfect Dagney. She is intense, charismatic and exudes a sense of mystery. Kate Blanchett is a good actor, but she is too bland - looks like a pretty suburban mom.
I just finished reading Atlas Shrugged, and the ENTIRE TIME I was imagining Angelina Jolie as Dagny Taggart. Perfect, Perfect, Perfect!
Set your expectations very *very* low.
I think that casting angelina jolie is the smartest choice one could make. i am 3/4 done with the book right now and all i picture is her. for those of you that feel she is wrong, look back at jolie’s earlier work, and the UN work she does. she is through and through Dagny. as far as brad as galt...who knows stranger thigns have happened...
I’ve never seen any evidence to indicate that Angelina and Brad are practioners of the wise philosophy of Ayn Rand. The closest I can see them coming to implementing Rand’s philosophy is when Angelina simply makes as much money as she can and does with it what she sees fit, which includes giving 1/3 of it away. I’d much rather see her doing that than advocating — as many in Hollywood do — that people with far less money should be forced to have more of it taken away from them in taxes so the gov’t can waste it.
I do not think Angelina is a very good choice for Dagny Taggart. Besides the physical description of Dagny - who’s beauty is not as obvious or as in your face as Angelina. (not that there is anything wrong with Angelina, she is beautiful). The fact that we know so much about Jolie’s personal life ruins any credibility she might have playing Taggart. I don’t think Rand would approve of having her play Dagny. Im actually suprised Jolie is a fan of Rand, considering she doesn’t follow her philosophy at all. I think that Jodie Foster would make an excellent Dagny Taggart
Angelina is perfect. You may not like her, but she is who I imagined when I read the book 20 years ago. Don’t worry about the soul of Ayn Rand in the choice of Angelina–Ayn Rand, when discussing casting for the movie version of Atlas Shrugged back in the 70s, decided that Farrah Fawsett would be the perfect Dagney. She, too, was beautiful and very much all over the press at the time. The only difference in this instance is that Angelina is a much better actor and much better suited for the role. Brad would be a good selection for John Galt, but I think the role of Dagney is more important and must be right–if the choice actor is not convincing, the movie will flop. I think Angelina is the only actor today capable of playing that role.
I’m bemused by most of these posters. The mere fact that one is famous does not intend in the slightest that they are dumb, or unworthy of an intellectual role. I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with anyone on casting choices. I’m merely hoping for better arguements in the future.
Actually, the notion of making a single film out of “Atlas Shrugged” seems futile to begin with. “The Fountainhead” should require a mini-series and “Atlas Shrugged” is even longer. As for the actors, all I can think is that it seems extraordinary that they should be Ayn Rand fans. It doesn’t seem to fit with the publicity stories . . . even the “good” ones.
“Atlas Shrugged” as a book is longer than it has to be, and could easily be fit into a 2.5 hour movie that makes Ayn’s important points. My worry is that it will be transformed into an action-adventure story, becasue as much as I love the ideas presented in this book I still cringe when at the end I see our hero’s turned into comic-book characters performing JG’s rescue. If we can avoid the cheesy music and over-dramatics of that part of the book trasformed into a movie, I think we’d have a much better movie.
Angella is a fine choice and frankly I don’t care what her background is. As Howard said in “Fountainhead”,
“And so I didn’t come here to do you a favor or because I felt sorry for you or because you need a job pretty badly. I came for a simple, selfish reason-the same reason that makes a man choose the cleanest food he can find. It’s a law of survival, isn’t it?-to seek the best. I didn’t come for your sake. I came for mine.”
Jolie is a beautiful and talented actress who claims to respect Rand’s work. She’s the best, and is the cleanest food for this role to be found anywhere. Dagny rocks!
JEREMY NORTHAM AS JOHN GALT
If you would like to see the brilliant Jeremy Northam as John Galt in
the movie “Atlas Shrugged”, please sign this petition which is being
sent to Baldwin Entertainment, executive producers of the film.
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/johngalt
Daniel-Day Lewis as Hank Rearden?
I’m still unsure about Brad Pitt, he’s pulled off some pretty awesome roles, but please don’t let them cast Angelina Jolie as Dagny! And please, please, please don’t let them cast them both turning it into a Hollywood Blockbuster! Not that it’s her fault, but Angelina is far too sultry to play Dagny. Dagny is an understated beauty, she’s brilliant and uncomfortable with her femininity. They need someone a bit less “Hollywood” and a bit more myserious. What about Rachel Weisz or Kate Beckinsale? Angelina will come off as overtly sexy and the producers will play it up. Oh, how I hope another choice is made!
To me, a younger Jessica Lange would have made a great Dagny Taggart. Agreed?
I’ve been on the fence with this one since I heard it rumored. I don’t doubt Jolie’s ability to perform the role even if the philosophical/intellectual traits are feigned. I have always wondered if she could pull off the look until I stumbled across this image:
http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos2/angelina-jolie-beowulf-los-angeles-premiere-arrivals-8Tf2AX.jpg
That is pretty much my mental image of Dagny Taggart. Not forwardly or flauntingly sexy, but businesslike and possessing (said unstated) beauty. On the other hand, I can’t see Brad Pitt in any of the roles, except maybe an Ellis Wyatt.