Dave Allocca/Startraksphoto; Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesShould we start prepping for a movie subtitled In the Land of Blood Simple?!
In a killer Hollywood matchup that arguably nobody saw coming, Angelina Jolie will be teaming up with subversively offbeat auteurs Joel and Ethan Coen on her next directorial effort.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning brothers, whose No Country for Old Men snagged Best Picture honors in 2008, will rewrite the screenplay for Unbroken, Jolie's big-screen adaptation of the eponymous Laura Hillenbrand best-seller about a World War II pilot-turned-survivor.
The story follows the true-to-life ordeal of Louis Zamperini, a former Olympian who, as an Air Force pilot, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1943 and was subsequently taken captive by Japanese soldiers, who held him in a prison camp for the rest of the war.
"I read Laura Hillenbrand's brilliant book, and I was so moved by Louie Zamperini's heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film," Jolie said in a statement announcing her involvement in the project. "Louie is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story."
Unbroken will be Jolie's follow-up to her 2011 directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey. Although the movie was far from a critical hit, earning a score of 56 on Metacritic, it did snag Jolie a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
The addition of the Coens could be just the kind of critical cred Jolie needs to boost Unbroken's prospects: Between them, the brothers have racked up 14 Oscar nominations and have collectively won four times, including screenplay honors for Fargo and No Country for Old Men.