There was a rumor a few years ago that Jolie and Depp were going to do Wuthering Heights together, and I was in the "Oh, please, no!" camp about that
I'm not sure how I'd feel about Jolie in DS- she's not a favorite of mine, but yet her persona is very strong, and maybe that would make her up to the task for DS.
As for women playing older roles, the situation with Rachel Griffiths in Blow (and Lea Thompson in Back To The Future, for that matter) is that they're playing their character at both a young age and an older age, so that's not as much of an insult as just being asked to play a mom of a 46 year-old! (even though Johnny looks easily 10 years younger than he is). BTW I have no idea what part Hope Davis would've been up for that she turned down- that one stumps me! The article raises a good point, though, and I'm guessing that DS is going to be no different in that Barnabas' love interest(s) are going to be cast a good deal younger than Johnny instead of around his age. And in the case of Vicki, she really *has* to be lot younger, or else it wouldn't work that she's just starting out as a governess.
Cathy