Angelina Ends Maternity Leave

Mon., Jul. 10, 2006 11:40 AM PDT by Gina Serpe

Well this explains all those animal noises reportedly emanating from Angelina Jolie's African abode last year. Apparently, she was just getting into character.

Brad Pitt's better half is putting an end to her big-screen maternity leave, taking on her first project since the May birth of daughter Shiloh: lending her voice to the DreamWorks animated flick Kung Fu Panda.

The Oscar-winning actress has signed on to play Tigress, a martial-arts mastering--you guessed it--tigress, who is among the animals called on to train a "chosen" yet nearly irredeemably lazy panda to defend their ancient Chinese city against encroaching enemies.

The kid-friendly 'toon reunites computer-animated costars Jolie and Jack Black, who gives voice to the titular kung fu-loving panda. The duo previously costarred together in DreamWorks' 2004 hit Shark Tale.

And the studio is hopeful that history will repeat itself: Shark Tale has grossed $363.5 million worldwide, per BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane also star in the movie, due out in May 2008.

But Jolie won't have to wait that long to be seen on the big screen.

Prior to her springtime Namibian getaway, she completed filming the Robert De Niro-helmed CIA drama The Good Shepherd opposite Matt Damon, due out this December.

In the meantime, though, Jolie is busy trying to keep a different performance off computer screens.

Photos of a private baby shower, held in Namibia and costarring Pitt, were apparently stolen from a digital memory card from a camera belonging to Jolie's brother, James Haven, and shopped around to various media outlets before leaking online.

Two weeks ago, the FBI traced the photos back to Bill Keyes and Adam Beckwith, coworkers at a Enfield, Connecticut, electronics shop where Haven had brought his camera for repair. After discovering the potentially lucrative images, the twosome allegedly downloaded the photos to their personal computer before attempting to hawk them to the highest bidder.

Los Angeles authorities are reviewing the case and have yet to file charges. Jolie's lawyer, however, is threatening to sue any media outlet that republishes the photos, which feature Jolie and Pitt goofing around--complete with feather boas--while opening gifts.