Angelina Jolie is departing the remake of "Murder on the Orient Express," but another Oscar winner may be taking her place.



A new report from Variety includes two big scoops about the high-profile production: First, that Jolie, the first major star attached to the project, is exiting. According to the trade, Jolie was never officially confirmed for the flick, though she was in negotiations to take a lead role. She ultimately passed.



The second bit of news concerns who's replacing her: Variety reports that it's none other than Charlize Theron, who's been in demand as of late, appearing in "Mad Max: Fury Road" and the upcoming "Fast 8." (Though her last film, "The Huntsman: Winter's War" was a flop earlier this year. Perhaps why she'd want to board such a prestigious project.)



According to Variety, Theron is just one of "a number of other big name stars" being considered for the film, based on the 1934 Agatha Christie novel. The story centers around Christie's iconic detective Hercule Poirot, who tries to figure out which of his fellow passengers murdered an American businessman aboard the titular train.



A famous film version was released in 1974, directed by Sidney Lumet, and featured an all-star cast, including Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Colin Blakely, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, and Michael York. The flick went on to earn six Academy Award nominations, with Bergman taking home the best supporting actress trophy.



Kenneth Branagh is directing this new adaptation, which is being produced by Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, and Mark Gordon. Christie's great-grandson, James Prichard, will also executive produce. No word yet on when production is slated to begin.







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