Phillip Noyce is not paranoid, but his belief in sleeper spies such as Evelyn Salt, the title character played by Angelina Jolie in the film "Salt" that he directed, is palpable.

"I do believe that there are tens of thousands of sleeper spies all around the world, not placed to gain information but rather to gain positions of influence. Imagine if, at the highest levels of our governments, there were enemy agents? Just think about if the man with the finger on the trigger is an enemy agent, and what a coup that would be. Essentially, that’s the ending of the extended versions."

The "extended versions," of course, reference the film's DVD/Blu-ray, to be released Dec. 21. Like most of the releases in today's home entertainment market, there are different versions of the film offered, including three separate endings.

  

Filmgoers who saw "Salt" well know how its ending was left open wider than Red Square. But will Sony drive through with a sequel?

The stars and principals that need to align have, at least, begun to come together.

Writer Kurt Wimmer has ideas for how to advance the story of the spy thriller, in which Evelyn Salt is a Russian plant in the highest echelons of the CIA who may or may not be working for her home country.

Director Phillip Noyce, for his part, is said to be interested in returning for a new installment. Scheduling and preferences would need to be worked out, however: Though the filmmaker doesn't officially have a new movie, he is involved with several high-priority development projects.

They include "Wenceslas Square," the indie thriller that was set to shoot in Serbia as early as this summer but has gotten hung up on casting issues as producers seek a big-name star. Noyce is also interested in directing Russell Crowe in the Australian love story "Dirt Music," which has long been a passion project for the director, though without financing yet, no one's moving on that one. And there's another romance film in the offing that would reunite Noyce with "Salt" producer Sunil Perkash.

Angelina Jolie had said that she's keen to work on a sequel; she has the Tim Burton film "Maleficent" and the big-franchise dreams of Kay Scarpetta waiting in the wings, but no commitment to a new movie now that she's finished Spyglass spy movie "The Tourist."

"Salt" producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and, in particular, Sony remain a question, however. The line the studio has put out to insiders in Hollywood is that the the company wants to see how the film performs in key international territories -- over the coming weeks it opens in the U.K., Germany and numerous South American countries -- before deciding whether to move forward. The movie has performed reasonably well in the U.S., earning $96 million thus far, but the production cost $110 million, with marketing costs running along the usual lines for a star-driven action picture. And sequels tend to get pricier.

Then again, Sony has done the heavy lifting, launching an original script and an unknown title in a climate inhospitable to them. Now comes the easy part. Well, comparatively speaking.

--Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Angelina Jolie in 'Salt.' Credit: Sony Pictures

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After last appearing on the big screen in the more  dramatic "Changeling," Angelina Jolie will return to a gun-packing role in this July's "Salt."

In a newly-released trailer for the action-adventure, we see Jolie playing Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer charged with being a Russian sleeper spy. To prove her allegiance to the U.S. of A., Salt jets off on a mission during which she dyes her hair black and scoots around the globe (well, New York) evading capture.

The trailer certainly does a good job of setting up the confusing question "Who is Salt?" Frankly, we're pretty lost ourselves. Is she good or bad? And what's at stake? From what we can tell from the trailer, there's a young son involved in the plot and a missing husband whose discovery might help clear things up. 

Jolie is reprising the kind of role she's arguably best known for -- the tough chick with a beautiful-but-ruthless persona embodied in "Wanted" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." She seems to handle the role capably, though at times she's a bit too serious for our taste. We know there's heavy stuff at hand, but could she smile once or twice? Also, her black wig looks so fake that it's actually distracting.

As far as the action goes, it looks like director Phillip Noyce has packed the film with both heart-stopping chase scenes and racy sex scenes -- it's no surprise that the trailer teases a scantily clad and, well, salty moment. But what's more appealing about the trailer is the mind-bending plot line, which could offer some complexity to go with the chases and the fights.

-- Amy Kaufman

Photo: Angelina Jolie stars in "Salt." Credit: Sony Pictures