MOVIE NEWS – Angelina Jolie’s latest directorial project is finally heading to theaters after spending almost two years without a commercial release. Without Blood, adapted from Alessandro Baricco’s novel and starring Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir, will arrive in U.S. cinemas in September 2026.

Angelina Jolie returned to directing with Without Blood, a screen adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s 2002 novel. Jolie developed the screenplay together with the author and also worked as a producer on the film. Although the project was completed in time for its festival debut in 2024, audiences outside the festival circuit have had no confirmed opportunity to see it. That uncertainty has now ended, with a U.S. theatrical date finally added to the release calendar.

According to Variety, Without Blood will open in American theaters on September 18, 2026. The narrative takes place after a war whose location and political background remain deliberately undefined. Nina is introduced as a child hiding while a group of violent men murders her father and brother. Tito, one of the attackers, discovers where she is concealed but chooses not to reveal her presence, leaving her alive. That decision follows him for decades. When Nina is in her 50s, she eventually locates Tito and asks him to meet her for a drink. He accepts despite believing that she may have played a role in the deaths of the other two men and could now be preparing to take revenge on the last survivor.

Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir lead the cast as the older versions of Nina and Tito, while other performers portray the characters during earlier periods of their lives. Jolie has described the story as an exploration of the emotional damage left behind by violence and the difficult process of living with memory. “Alessandro Baricco’s Without Blood examines universal truths about trauma, memory and healing,” Jolie said in a statement. “The emotional intimacy and openness that our cast and crew brought to this film was extraordinary and exciting to be around. I hope that Salma and Demián’s brave performances will inspire the type of conversation that Baricco sought in writing the novel.”

Hayek Pinault, who previously appeared with Jolie in Marvel Studios’ Eternals, also spoke warmly about the experience of working with her as a filmmaker. “Having the opportunity to be directed by Angelina Jolie in Without Blood was a profoundly enriching experience,” she said. “Her emotional intelligence and searing sensitivity bring to life a story about how the wounds we carry shape who we become, and the strength it takes to carry on. I am so thrilled that Brainstorm is bringing this visually stunning tale of revenge, guilt, and the long road back to our own humanity to U.S. audiences in theaters.”

The film’s theatrical journey has taken considerably longer than expected. Without Blood was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, meaning its wider release will arrive almost two years after its premiere. Reviews from that festival run were largely negative despite praise for the project’s intentions. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the movie at 36% from 14 reviews, with several critics arguing that the execution never fully matches the seriousness of the themes it attempts to address.

The September release will finally allow general audiences to form their own opinion. Without Blood is Jolie’s first feature as a director since First They Killed My Father in 2017. Her earlier directing credits include In the Land of Blood and Honey, Unbroken, and By the Sea. She also continues to work in front of the camera and is attached to the comedy Anxious People as well as the crime thriller Sunny.

Source: MovieWeb