Natalie Portman Joins Terrence Malick's 'Lawless' & 'Knight Of Cups'

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by Kevin Jagernauth
February 8, 2012 11:44 AM
12 Comments

Nope, still no plot details or anything really about Terrence Malick's upcoming back-to-back films "Lawless" and "Knight Of Cups," but as if we couldn't be any more stoked about what the elusive filmmaker will bring to us next, here comes this little bombshell. Natalie Portman will be joining both films. Damn.

Just to recap: "Lawless" will star Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett, and it already created waves last fall when pre-production work was underway at the Austin City Limits music festival. What's it about? Who knows. But that is one helluva cast, but no shocker really, considering Malick is the kind of guy actors line up to work with (unless they are Christopher Plummer or Adrien Brody). Meanwhile, "Knight Of Cups" also stars Bale and Blanchett along with Isabel Lucas, and again, no details on what it might be about.

"Knight Of Cups" will shoot first this summer, with "Lawless" following in the fall, with Sarah Green and Nicolas Gonda producting. But will the films be connected? When the films were first announced they were said to be "separate narratives," but the Bale/Blanchett/Portman crossover casting is interesting, so we'll have to see how it all develops. But here's a curious bit of trivia: back in 2010, both Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman were rumored to be working on Malick's long developing Jerry Lee Lewis biopic (you can read all about that project here) so it's interesting to see her coming back into the fold again here.

Meanwhile, Malick is currently sitting on another presumably completed film, the untitled romance starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem and Olga Kurylenko. Still no word on when that will see release, but clearly Terry is moving faster now than he ever has in his career. As for Portman, this is one helluva of a way to return after her post-baby hiatus. [Deadline]

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More: Natalie Portman, Lawless, Knight Of Cups, Terrence Malick

12 Comments

| Reply
Mel Gibson | February 8, 2012 4:44 PMReply

Lets replace Mara with someone else and this would be a perfect cast!
vl | February 9, 2012 4:03 PM

haha ;) *finger gun*
Drew | February 9, 2012 3:50 PM

Alright VL, I love you bro.
vl | February 9, 2012 1:51 PM

What ad hominem attack? You called me a "Mara loyalist" and I called you a "Dunst fangirl." Seems fair. I think you're taking MY comment too seriously (BTW, the Rooney Mara Fan Club doesn't exist, and I've met neither Fincher nor Malick. That was a joke.)
Drew | February 9, 2012 5:12 AM

First of all, the ad hominem attack has got to go. Come on dude, you can come up with something better than that, right? Secondly, it was a joke... kind of. Don't take strangers comments so seriously. This is Indiewire not Deadline ;) Get itttt? Get ittttttt? Probably not.
vl | February 9, 2012 2:14 AM

keep fangirling*
vl | February 9, 2012 2:14 AM

"Mara loyalists?" OK then. Does that make you a "Dunst loyalist?" "...crawl out of their hole and try to defend the chosen one." You are aware that a wide variety of people read this blog, right? People who happen to, god forbid, like an actress that you don't. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go meet up with Fincher and Malick for a Rooney Mara Fan Club meeting. You can fangirling over Dunst if you want.
Drew | February 9, 2012 12:59 AM

I love it when Mara loyalists crawl out of their hole and try to defend the chosen one. There are plenty of better actresses and her Oscar nomination belonged to Swinton, Theron, or Dunst. I think Kiki should be in this. Trade Mara for her!
vl | February 9, 2012 12:25 AM

ridiculous. she's a great actress.
Katsup | February 8, 2012 8:14 PM

For reals.
Tom | February 8, 2012 2:08 PMReply

Great news. Now give us a release date on The Burial! It better not take three years in the editing room to finish it.
Nik Grape | February 8, 2012 12:43 PMReply

What a way to brighten up the morning. Fantastic.