Angelina Jolie, the Oscar-winner who's given us wounded assassins, grieving mothers, and immortal god-beings, is back in comedy. And not just any comedy—Anxious People, a hostage farce rooted in Scandinavian neurosis. You couldn't make this up if you tried (though, Fredrik Backman did).
It's been nearly 20 years since Jolie shined in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a movie that wasn't just a box office hit—it was a cultural flashpoint. Since then? A parade of prestige dramas, a Marvel detour, and a directorial pivot into global conflict. Her return to comedy, especially one based on a novel as tonally intricate as Anxious People, feels like both a left turn and a strategic recalibration.
According to Deadline, Jolie will headline the upcoming adaptation, directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, World War Z) and written by David Magee (Life of Pi). The original novel dances between slapstick and existentialism, following a failed bank robbery turned hostage situation that unravels the secrets of a motley crew of hostages. Think The Breakfast Club meets Dog Day Afternoon—if it were filtered through IKEA and panic attacks.
Here's where it gets interesting. Anxious People was already adapted into a Swedish miniseries by Netflix in 2021. The reception? Lukewarm. Reviews noted tonal whiplash and the difficulty of balancing the novel's absurdism with its poignant psychological beats. Which makes Jolie's new venture even more curious.
Hollywood rarely bets twice on the same IP this soon—unless there's a compelling twist. Enter Jolie. Her star power, when paired with Forster's empathetic directing style, might be the missing puzzle piece. It's not unlike what happened with A Man Called Otto—another Backman adaptation that initially flopped in Sweden but found new resonance (and box office success) in the U.S. with Tom Hanks in the lead.
So what makes Anxious People different? The comedy is messy. Earnest. Tonally chaotic. It demands vulnerability from its leads, not just charisma. If Jolie nails this, she could redefine her late-career arc—not as a Serious Actress™ but as a risk-taker willing to laugh at the absurdity of life (and her own image).
So here's the question: Can Jolie make anxious comedy land in an industry that's allergic to emotional messiness unless there's a cape involved? Or will Anxious People be another “prestige pivot” that forgets to be fun?
📣 Would you watch Jolie as a bank-robber-hostage-comedy queen? Or has the moment passed? Drop your take below.
