There are times when actors and filmmakers realize during the production process whether the project they are working on will be a hit or a miss. And for Charlize Theron, this was the case when she was working on the live-action adaptation of Peter Chung’s iconic work.

Although it didn’t take a toll on both the filmmakers and the actress’ careers, as they eventually recovered from the abysmal disaster it became, Theron did want the movie to work. However, according to the Mad Max star, she realized from the beginning that there was no saving this film.

Charlize Theron chose Aeon Flux to get rid of her depressing image

Being a fan of the source material, leading the live-action adaptation was a pleasure for Charlize Theron. However, her love for Peter Chung’s Aeon Flux wasn’t the only reason she decided to take this job under her wing, as at the time, she wanted to get rid of her depressing tag. Considering Theron witnessed a traumatic incident where her mom had to end her father’s life in self-defense, the Mad Max star was often pitied, which the actress wasn’t a fan of. And in order to change that depressing image, she went on to take this work. She stated,
“It was one of the scariest things, to walk onto a set of a show that’s so developed and so brilliant. But I think I needed that, to put myself out there in a different way, because people thought of me as someone who was f***ing depressing, like my mother shot my father.”
However, things didn’t go smoothly as the actress hoped for, as the film was made during a transition period of the studio, leading to the underwhelming product that Theron expected.
Aeon Flux (2005)

Charlize Theron decided to do another project as she expected Aeon Flux to fail

Despite the ambitious vision of the creators for the live-action adaptation, it didn’t even manage to break even and was only able to garner $52 million from a $62 million budget. And considering Aeon Flux was bashed by critics upon its release, this didn’t help with the film’s overall collection during its theatrical run. However. the project becoming a huge failure was something Theron expected from the get-go, and to limit the damages, she decided to join the Sitcom Arrested Development, which she loved. She explained,
“I knew that Aeon Flux was going to be a f***ing flop. I knew it from the beginning, that’s why I did Arrested Development.”
Charlize Theron in Arrested Development
Theron’s decision to star in Arrested Development did become the right choice, as it did end up being a damage control for the Academy Award-winning star after the career killer Aeon Flux.

Aeon Flux is available to stream on Max.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter