Angelina Jolie wigs out in spy thriller 'Salt'

Angelina Jolie will play a spy who wears a lot of different disguises -- including blond and brunet banged wigs -- in the new spy thriller from director Phillip Noyce called "Salt."

The pitch meeting probably went something like this:

"Sure, we lost Tom Cruise. Def, it's a bummer. But look on the bright side. Just imagine 'Alias' meets 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'!"

OK, maybe her costars in "Salt" won't be able to tell it's Angelina wearing a wig. But viewers won't have much trouble picking her out.

Who is the real Salt? Aha. That's what filmmakers want you to wonder.

"She's a character you never know," says producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura in USA Today of Jolie's spy accused (yawn) of being a double agent. "People who think they know the real her may or may not. Those who think they can tell whether she's in a disguise also may or may not. You're supposed to be kept guessing. She tells you her agenda, but are you supposed to believe it?"

Doesn't it sound like he's describing the real Angelina?

Tom Cruise backed out of the project last summer, and the film/role was rewritten for Jolie. The filmmakers subsequently changed the character's name from Edwin A. Salt to Evelyn A. Salt.

Frankly, I think they blew it when they lost Cruise and hired Jolie. I would have loved to see Tom in a blond wig.

Noyce, who made the 1990s-era Jack Ryan films ("Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger") with Harrison Ford, promises USA Today that "Salt" will be "a reality-based spy movie with action set pieces as thrilling as the most crowd-pleasing movies of this genre."

Expect a little more sex appeal and a lot more wigs than Jack Ryan wore. Probably some racy lingerie, leather boots and a trench coat or two.

Which Angelina Jolie "Salt" hair color do you prefer?

Blond or brunet?

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Credits: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Robert Elswit