Real gossip historians remember the fireworks between Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie back in the day. That was such a fascinating moment in gossip history, and basically every guy involved in the Alexander film was in love with her. She was recently divorced from Billy Bob Thornton, and she had already adopted Maddox, who traveled with her everywhere. Oliver Stone cast Jolie as Alexander’s mother, Olympias, and Stone spent several interviews lusting after her. Val Kilmer did as well, although Colin Farrell was the one who seemed to shoot his shot with her successfully. They reportedly had a brief fling, then Angelina wrapped and moved on to working on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The rest is history. Now Angelina and Colin are both older and wiser. Colin got sober a few years after Alexander, and Angelina hasn’t dated anyone seriously in many years (despite my attempts to get her to go back to Jonny Lee Miller). Is this the moment for a Farrell-Jolie reunion?

She played his mom in 2004’s Alexander, but rumor had it that Angelina Jolie’s feelings for Colin Farrell were more than maternal. The pair was said to have had a steamy fling at the time (she divorced Billy Bob Thornton in 2003; he split from model Kim Bordenave that same year).

Now sources exclusively tell In Touch Angie, 49, still has a crush on the 48-year-old — especially since the one-time bad boy has cleaned up his act.

“They were a great match, but the timing wasn’t right, they both had a lot of growing up to do,” says an insider. “She’s very impressed with the work that he’s done on himself and the man that he’s become.”

The mom of six (with ex Brad Pitt) was particularly moved to see the Irish actor as a father, notes the insider. The dad of two recently opened up about his and Kim’s 20-year-old son, James, who was diagnosed at 2 with a rare neurological disorder that causes intellectual and developmental delays.

“Everything’s magnified when you have a child with special needs,” he said, adding that his son was his inspiration for “putting the bottle down” and getting sober. Says the source, “Angelina and Colin are both such loving parents, that’s something that’s important to her.”

[From In Touch Weekly]

Two Geminis, born one year apart, both based in LA and decades past their “wild child” eras. What could go wrong? Everything. Let’s be honest – the wildness is still there for both of them. They would burn too brightly. Or it could be some much-needed fun for both of them. I don’t know… the idea is growing on me, mostly because I think Colin really is a good guy and Angelina has been through a lot. She needs some fun in her life.

Photos courtesy of Can Nguyen / Avalon, David Sumner / Retna UK / Avalon, Paul Treadway / Avalon, J ALmasi / Avalon, Marc Larkin / Avalon.