Hollywood loves a "lightning in a bottle" moment. Usually, when you take the two biggest stars on the planet and put them in a room—especially a room in Venice—you expect the screen to literally catch fire. That was the pitch for the 2010 film The Tourist. It’s the only time we’ve ever seen movies with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie as a package deal.
But if you look back at the headlines from that era, the reality was a lot messier than the glossy posters suggested.
People wanted Mr. & Mrs. Smith levels of chemistry. What they got was a weird, slow-burn European thriller that some critics called "cinematic anti-Viagra." Honestly, the drama behind the scenes was arguably more interesting than the plot about tax evasion and plastic surgery.
The One and Only: Breaking Down The Tourist
Let's get the facts straight first. The Tourist is a remake of a 2005 French film called Anthony Zimmer. The setup is basically every traveler’s daydream: Frank (Depp), a math teacher from Wisconsin with a broken heart, is sitting on a train to Venice. He meets Elise (Jolie), a woman who looks like she just walked off a Vogue cover.
She picks him. He’s confused. Suddenly, people are shooting at them.
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It sounds like a slam dunk. You have Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck—the guy who won an Oscar for The Lives of Others—directing. You have a script worked on by Christopher McQuarrie and Julian Fellowes. That's a lot of heavy lifting for a movie that mostly consists of two people staring at each other in expensive hotels.
Why the Chemistry Failed (According to Everyone)
The biggest complaint about this movie, then and now, is the lack of "spark." You'd think pairing Jolie’s icy regalness with Depp’s quirky charm would be electric. Instead, it felt a bit like a swan trying to mate with a duck.
- Jolie's Vibe: She played Elise like a statue. Beautiful, yes, but almost untouchable.
- Depp's Vibe: He went "everyman." He was pudgy, had a scruffy beard, and spent half the movie talking about e-cigarettes.
Critics at the time, like Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, were brutal. They basically said the two stars seemed to be in completely different movies. Jolie was in a high-fashion perfume ad; Depp was in a quirky indie comedy. They didn't even meet in person until they sat down with the director to discuss the script. For two titans of the industry, they were total strangers when the cameras started rolling.
Behind the Scenes: Feuds or Just Gossip?
If you dig into the 2010 tabloids, the rumors were everywhere. People claimed Jolie was annoyed by Depp's "partying" and that he thought she was "full of herself." There was even a weirdly specific rumor that she made him use mouthwash before their kiss scenes.
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Is any of that true? Probably not.
Publicly, they were nothing but professional. Depp called her a "walking poem." Jolie said he was a "deeply feeling artist." It’s more likely that they were just two very different people with different work styles. Depp likes to improvise and be weird; Jolie is precise. When those two styles clash on a $100 million set, it can look like "tension" to an outsider.
The Financial Reality
Despite the "flop" label often thrown around, The Tourist didn't actually lose money.
- Budget: $100 million
- Global Box Office: $278.8 million
It did okay! Most of that money came from overseas, though. American audiences weren't really buying the "math teacher" version of Johnny Depp, especially when they were used to him swinging from ropes as Jack Sparrow. But in Europe and Asia? They loved the scenery and the star power.
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Will We Ever See Them Together Again?
This is the question that keeps popping up in 2026. For years, there was nothing. No projects, no cameos, nothing.
However, since Depp’s legal battles and Jolie’s own public divorce sagas, rumors have started swirling again. Some reports suggest they’ve stayed in touch as a "support system" for each other. There was even a rumor about a Tim Burton project called Mysterious Shadows that would reunite them, though nothing has been officially greenlit.
Honestly, a reunion would be huge. But it would have to be the right project. We don't need The Tourist 2. We need something raw.
Actionable Insights for Fans of the Duo
If you’re still hunting for that Depp-Jolie fix, here is how you should actually consume their work:
- Skip the Hype, Watch the Scenery: If you watch The Tourist today, do it for the cinematography. John Seale shot it, and Venice has never looked better. Don't look for a deep romance; look for a gorgeous travelogue.
- The "Hidden" Connections: If you want to see where their styles actually align, watch Edward Scissorhands (Depp) and Girl, Interrupted (Jolie) back-to-back. Both actors are at their best when they play "outsiders."
- Check the 2026 Festival Circuit: Keep an eye on the major film festivals this year. Both actors are moving into a "redemption" phase of their careers, focusing more on directing and indie projects. That’s where a collaboration is most likely to happen—not in a big-budget studio thriller.
The legacy of movies with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie is ultimately a lesson in expectation. Sometimes, the world's most beautiful people are just that—people. They don't always create magic just because the lighting is right. But in a world of CGI and AI-generated faces, there is still something undeniably cool about seeing those two actual humans on a boat in Italy, even if the plot makes zero sense.