Angelina Jolie’s ‘Without Blood’: Cast, Release Date, Info

Angelina Jolie is stepping back into the director’s chair for the sixth time for the upcoming film Without Blood, based on the book of the same title by Italian author Alessandro Baricco. The film has actually been ready for years, first premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September 2024, and it was released in Italy back in April 2025. Finally, though, we will get to see it in the States, as the US theatrical release is coming up next month. So, here’s what you need to know about the movie, which has become a bit of a family project for Jolie.

Based on the 2002 novel, according to the tagline, Jolie’s film is set in the aftermath of an “unidentified conflict,” and follows Nina (Salma Hayek) “as she’s embroiled in a years-long plot of subtle retaliation for her family’s horrific murder.”

Along with directing, Jolie also authored the script. “The book had an impact on me as it has so many other people,” Jolie told People in 2022. “It carries themes and questions important to discuss.” Of course, Jolie has experience with wartime stories, having directed the 2015 film Unbroken, set during World War II.

A trailer has dropped ahead of the film’s US release. The preview centers around a conversation between Hayek and Bichir’s characters, while flashbacks of a war years earlier provide background to the story. “Revenge is the drug that allows us to fight,” Hayek’s character tells Tito (Bichir). While the interaction between the two looks fairly civil, context suggests there is more here than meets the eye. “How can God forgive you?” Nina asks Tito.

The film stars Demián Bichir, as well as Salma Hayek, whom Jolie previously worked with in the 2021 Marvel film, Eternals.

Hayek, Bichir, and Jolie at the premiere of Without Blood at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.

"Salma and Demián are very authentic and brave in this film,” Jolie said. “I had been a fan of their work. I knew they would bring solid commitment and craft to the film, but honestly, they both blew me away.” Jolie went on to call Hayek “so raw and so authentic,” adding that the actor is “mesmerizing.” Hayek, meanwhile, had praise for Jolie as well, saying she’s “probably the best director I've ever worked with.”

"It was a tough film to do,” Hayek said. “And then somehow, it was a joy to suffer so much [because]…she was shockingly good.”

Initially, Hayek was hesitant to take on the starring role. “I didn’t want to do the movie,” she told EW. “I didn’t want to be Nina. I didn’t want to go to the places that she’s been, emotionally. So I told Angie, I don’t want to do this woman. I don’t want to. It’s too painful. It’s taken so many years for me to get to a place in my life where I’m really happy. I don’t want to go suffer for weeks and weeks.”

Eventually, Jolie was able to convince Hayek to sign on, and it seems like she is happy with the decision. “I’ve never felt so valued,” she said. “[Jolie] knew I was the right actress. I didn’t even know I was the right actress at the moment.”

Jolie was joined on set by her two oldest sons, Maddox, 25, and Pax, 22, who both worked in the assistant director department of the film, serving as liaisons between Jolie and the movie’s other departments, according to People. “We work well together,” Jolie said of her sons. “When a film crew is at its best, it feels like a big family, so it felt natural.”

Jolie with Pax, Zahara, and Maddox in 2024.

This is the second time Pax has joined his mom on a set, having collaborated with Jolie for her 2017 film, First They Killed My Father, where he shot stills for the movie. Apparently, he held a similar role on Without Blood, working on behind-the-scenes content.

Despite their young age, both Maddox and Pax quickly gained the respect of the rest of the cast and crew. “They work hard,” Hayek told People. “They are very serious about what they do.” At first, Hayek admits she “was teasing” the pair. “But then I had to say, ‘No. I have to separate and just treat them like professionals because it's disrespectful.”

Without Blood finally releases in the US on September 18.

This article was originally published on Aug. 17, 2022