In a bizarro battle of the bands, U2 will duke it out with an evil version of themselves in their upcoming video for “Elevation” – but not before The Edge is kidnapped by the bandmembers’ doppelg”ngers and then rescued by Angelina Jolie.
The clip, to be shot this weekend in Los Angeles, will blend U2 and the upcoming “Tomb Raider” movie into one giant action piece, according to director Joseph Kahn (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys). Jolie, who stars in the film’s lead role as a real-life version of video game heroine Lara Croft, will provide the thread between the two and help merge the story lines.
The clip begins with Bono discovering that guitarist The Edge has been kidnapped by the evil U2. After Croft rescues him, U2 and the evil U2 rival each other in a street jam.
“The U2 as you know them want to save the world, but the evil U2 want to destroy the world,” Kahn said.
There was no word on which U2 will prevail in the end.
Kahn said he came up with the treatment but spent some time traveling with the bandmembers on tour to get their input. Although most of the video will be shot over the weekend, Jolie will shoot her scenes separately in Seattle next week.
“Elevation” originally appeared on U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000). Elektra did not have a release date or track listing for the “Tomb Raider” soundtrack at press time.