Natalie Portman Grabs the 'Black Swan'
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Casting, Scripts
Darren Aronofsky's so-called fast-tracking Black Swan met a big ol' brick wall and never got off the ground like it planned to back in 2007. The project got thrown into turnaround by Universal and faded away. But now, fresh with a spanky new rewrite, The Hollywood Reporter posts that the project is picking up steam. The supernatural thriller, which takes place in New York City's ballet world, has gotten a rewrite by Mark Heyman, and one hell of a lead in Natalie Portman. It also doesn't hurt that The Wrestler did so darned well. The film, being described by some as a "spine-tingler" reminiscent of The Others, will focus on a veteran ballerina (Portman) competing against "a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance." Somehow, somewhere, something supernatural slips in.
But it's not a done deal yet. As tasty and unique as the project sounds (albeit with a slight hint of Joss Whedon and Summer Glau), it's being shopped to studios and isn't definite quite yet. However, should a studio bite, this project could get dancing right away. And should it? I think so. It'll be a whole new type of role for Portman, and I'm dying to see how she does in Aronofsky's unique world. How about you?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-16-2009 @ 2:24PM
John said...
This movie is supposed to be based on Nicholas Taleb's book on unexpected events in the financial markets. What exactly does that plot have to do with the book? Oh, I see, something "unexpected" happens.
"The Black Swan" was a followup to "Fooled by Randomness", on people's misunderstanding of randomness and statistical probability. Now, let's see them make a movie out of that!
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6-16-2009 @ 1:55PM
Brian said...
I die to see Portman in anything, seeing her paired with Aronofsky is like a chocolate german cake, too much chocolate to handle in one sitting, but you keep eating because it's just so damn good.
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6-16-2009 @ 2:13PM
pete thomson said...
a rather meaningless comment dont you think? Im not a fan of either Aronofsky or Portman. He is self indulgent and pretensious she is wooden and tends to star in rubbish films. I dont see their meeting as being German chocolate cake but more Pot Noodle Quinells . If that means anything to you.
6-16-2009 @ 3:22PM
Dani said...
Aronofsky's & Portman, I'm so there
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6-18-2009 @ 1:27AM
Quentin said...
Sounds awesome. Natalie Portman is a great actress and it will be really cool to see a talented director like Aronofsky take on a eerie story like that.
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6-18-2009 @ 4:25AM
MichelleK said...
Portman is a mediocre actress. I hate to see Aronofsky take this route. I also cannot see her as a ballet dancer. She is too stiff and not graceful.
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6-18-2009 @ 11:25AM
patrik_ch7 said...
well why don´t they cast Summer Glau as the rival then..don´t know how well Portman can dance but she seemed pretty agile in "'Closer"..I think she´s a good actress and I think Summer Glau is awesome and I´d watch any movie with her in it..even a dance movie..
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