"Angelina has been talking about adopting another child for over a year now," says a close insider.
"With Maddox and Pax off doing their own thing and Zahara away at college in Atlanta, she's really suffering from empty-nest syndrome."
Along with Maddox, 21, Pax, 19, and Zahara, 18, Ange is mum to Shiloh, 17, and twins, Knox and Vivienne, 14, whom she shares with ex-husband Brad Pitt.
We're told Ange has already floated the idea of a new baby by the kids and "they're all just as excited as she is," says the source.
While Ange has been dating, she's struggled to meet the right partner.
Friends say she is feeling "lonely as hell" but knows the joy a new baby brings is "better than anything she could ever get from a man."
"She misses the bustle of having young kids depend on you for everything," continues the source.
After all, the Maleficient actress has previously admitted that motherhood is "the most wonderful thing" she has ever done.
"There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than entertaining my children," says Ange.