The last time a director approached Natalie Portman about starring in a science-fiction epic, it didn't turn out so well. I am, of course, referring to what happened with Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity back in 2010. After hopes of landing Angelina Jolie for the lead role in the project were destroyed, the filmmaker went after the the future Oscar winner, only to be denied. While no reason was given at the time, it was revealed a short while later that Portman was pregnant with her first child, and it became clear that she turned down the part for that reason. But now the small child has been removed from the actress, so will the Wachowskis have more luck?
The Los Angeles Times has learned that Andy and Lana Wachowski are keen on hiring Portman to play the lead in their upcoming project, Jupiter Ascending. Should she become involved, it would be the first movie she has done since announcing her pregnancy. Little is known about the plot of the film, which is set up at Warner Bros. and won't start production until after the siblings have finished editing their next, Cloud Atlas (which is due out later this year). Portman and the Wachowskis do have a history, as the actress previously starred in V For Vendetta, which the filmmakers produced.
I will admit for a while there I did get a bit burnt out on Natalie Portman. In the first six months of 2011 she was in No Strings Attached, The Other Woman, Hesher, Your Highness and Thor. While that was quite an overload, she actually doesn't have any movies coming out this year and, as mentioned above, she doesn't yet have anything either in pre-production or currently shooting. Knowing the public's short attention span, when she does come back it may not be a case of "Natalie Portman again?" but rather "Where the hell has she been?"
