Natalie Portman Adds Gun-Running Thriller & Psychological Drama To List Of Potential Projects

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by Kevin Jagernauth
October 2, 2012 1:51 PM
3 Comments

It seems to be a good time to be Natalie Portman. With the actress slowly emerging from the break she took to have her first son, her list of projects is beginning to pile up. Of course, she's doing the two-fer for Terrence Malick with "Knight Of Cups" and his untitled, currently lensing film. And this fall, she'll run away from CGI stuff in "Thor: The Dark World." But after that? She's got options. Just a couple weeks ago she was linked to the developing "In The Garden Of Beasts" co-starring Tom Hanks, with Michael Hazanavicius to direct, and at the end of last week, it was reported she was eyeing former Darren Aronofsky project "Jackie." And don't forget she's also attached to Lynne Ramsay's western "Jane Got A Gun." And now, two more possibilities are on her desk.

First up is "Code Name Sasha," a flick described as a cross between "La Femme Nikita" and "Training Day" that would find Portman playing "a single mother who has been engaged in criminal activity since she was a teenager. She is given a chance to get out when the FBI asks her to go under cover to bring down the world’s largest gun-running organization." The project is set up at Paramount with producer Alexandra Milchan ("Bullet To The Head," "Righteous Kill"). Meanwhile, she's also kicking the tires on "Last Witness," where "she would play a psychologist working with the sole survivor of a bombing in a café in Boston who is suffering from amnesia." Davis Entertainment ("A Perfect Getaway," "Chronicle") is behind that one.

Of the two, 'Sasha" seems a bit more compelling and perhaps a way for Portman to return to her "Leon: The Professional" days, which she hasn't really done. But we'd imagine all of these depend on who's writing, directing etc, so we'll see if any of these move forward with her. Either way, something to contemplate for now. [The Wrap]

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More: Natalie Portman, Code Name Sasha, Last Witness

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Dazza | October 2, 2012 5:16 PMReply

I run natalieportman.com and am reliably informed that Natalie (thankfully) passed on Code Name Sasha. Not sure about Last Witness yet.
Real | October 2, 2012 5:53 PM

Thanks for the update Dazza. Not sure what to think of either of them. I think Code Sasha might be alright without the single mother aspect which usually lends itself to cheesiness. The logline for Last Witness is pretty vague but what are the odds that the sole survivor is a good looking male leading to an inevitable romance?
Xander | October 2, 2012 3:58 PMReply

I'll watch all eight of these.