Angelina Jolie’s ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ Backed by New Line

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – New Line Cinema and Creative Wealth Media will co-finance the Angelina Jolie wilderness thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” the company announced Thursday.

New Line parent company, Warner Bros. Pictures, will handle worldwide marketing and distribution.

The film, described as a female-driven neo-Western set against a wildfire in the Montana wilderness, begins principal photography this month. Taylor Sheridan, whose received an Oscar nomination for his “Hell or High Water” script, is directing from his own screenplay based on Michael Kortya’s bestselling novel, previously adapted by Charles Leavitt and Michael Koryta.

In the novel, the story follows a 14-year-old boy who witnesses a brutal murder, is issued a false identity and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens while the killers are slaughtering anyone who gets in their way in a methodical quest to reach him.

Jolie’s castmates include Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, and Tyler Perry. The film is being produced by Film Rites and Bron Studios. Sheridan is also producing with Garrett Basch, Steven Zaillian, and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert and Kevin Turen. Jason Cloth of Creative Wealth Media, Kathryn Dean and Michael Friedman are executive producers.

Warner Bros. and Bron Creative recently closed a $100 million co-financing deal for six movies, including Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule,”  Rebel Wilson’s “Isn’t It Romantic” and the “Joker” origin film starring Joaquin Phoenix. Bron Creative is a joint venture between Bron Studios and Creative Wealth.

Jolie was last seen in “By the Sea,” which she also directed. She’s starring in “Maleficent II,” which hits theaters May 29, 2020. She’s repped by UTA and Sloane Offer. The news about New Line was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.