Hollywood types can be fickle – just yesterday Tom Cruise and director Philip Noyce were all set to make The 28th Amendment, co-starring Denzel Washington. Today they’ve up and decided to do Edwin A. Salt instead.
Salt is a Kurt “Equilibrium” Wimmer script about a CIA agent accused of being a traitor. He has to go on the run to clear his name, blah blah blah. His superiors are probably corrupt or something. Anyway, the important thing is that it’s Noyce directing; while not an A-list mega-talent, he’s a solid director with some legitimately great films under his belt (like The Quiet American. But then again, he also has The Bone Collector. His mileage may vary), and Cruise needs someone who is going to make him a solid movie. Especially if all the ill-winds blowing around Valkyrie truly mean that the film is a disaster. All that needs to happen is for Noyce to make a movie on par with his Jack Ryan twofer (Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger) and the Cruise rehabilitation can truly get underway.
Meanwhile I have no idea what this all means for The 28th Amendment. Edwin A. Salt had been in development hell for quite some time, so maybe the two films are simply swapping places. For one to escape, another must be imprisoned!