Angelina Jolie is set to return to the world of sleek, high-octane espionage in The Initiative, reuniting with director Doug Liman nearly two decades after their blockbuster hit Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

The much-sought-after spy project is scripted by action veteran F Scott Frazier. Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum of RK Films are producing, having previously teamed with Angelina Jolie on Disney’s Maleficent franchise.

Described as “Training Day set in the world of spycraft”, the film follows Bright (Jolie), a master spy who operates far outside the rulebook, because, as the tagline-worthy logic goes, “sometimes you need someone bad to bring down people who are even worse.” Bright takes a new recruit, Charlie, under her wing, but the rookie quickly finds himself questioning whether his enigmatic boss is trying to kill him or simply doing whatever it takes to safeguard the free world.

Universal Studios hopes to fast-track the project, with production eyed for early 2026. For Jolie, The Initiative marks a potential return to the kinetic action-thriller territory she defined in films like Salt and The Tourist, following recent turns in Marvel’s Eternals and the biographical drama Maria.

Liman, who last year delivered Amazon MGM’s hit Roadhouse and Apple TV+'s The Instigators, has a long history with Universal, including launching the Bourne franchise with The Bourne Identity (2002) and directing American Made (2017). He remains attached to two other Tom Cruise-led projects: the underwater adventure Deeper and the untitled space film.

Frazier’s credits include Collide, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, and Amazon’s upcoming Outdueled.