Charlize Theron Takes Over Role Originally Written for a Man in Action Thriller The Gray Man

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Charlize Theron is apparently in talks for yet another action flick, The Gray Man, which is about an ex-CIA operative who becomes an assassin on the run. Her being courted for a new action flick isn’t any surprise, it’s the fact that the script was originally written with a male star in mind (namely Brad Pitt).

The folks over at Sony Pictures were apparently so impressed by her performance in Mad Max: Fury Road that they flipped the script and changed the gender of the protagonist just to get her on board. She’s already slated to appear in The Huntsman, and according to IMDB, she’s rumored to be in Mad Max: Wasteland, reprising her iconic Furiosa role from Mad Max: Fury Road.

The Gray Man is based on a book of the same name by Mark Greaney, and judging by the short description, gives me total Jason Bourne vibes. The script was written by Joe and Anthony Russo, who you’ll remember wrote the script for Captain America: Civil War, and are attached to the next two Avengers projects, according to Deadline.

Hmm. With that being said, I think I’m actually pretty stoked to dive into this thriller. And lest we forget, Theron is now amongst a rare few actresses who’ve been cast for roles originally intended for men: Sigourney Weaver (Alien, written for a dude) and Angelia Jolie (Salt, replacing Tom Cruise).

That is some rarefied air she’s breathing.

(via Jezebel)

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Jessica Lachenal
Jessica Lachenal is a writer who doesn’t talk about herself a lot, so she isn’t quite sure how biographical info panels should work. But here we go anyway. She's the Weekend Editor for The Mary Sue, a Contributing Writer for The Bold Italic (thebolditalic.com), and a Staff Writer for Spinning Platters (spinningplatters.com). She's also been featured in Model View Culture and Frontiers LA magazine, and on Autostraddle. She hopes this has been as awkward for you as it has been for her.