Natalie Portman may be burned out on big budget sci fi flicks, like the ‘Star Wars’ prequels and Marvel’s ‘Thor’ movies, but she isn’t done with outer space entirely. She is in negotiations to star in the astronaut drama ‘Pale Blue Dot’.
Pale Blue Dot centers on a married astronaut who returns to Earth after a mission and begins an affair with a fellow astronaut. She heads into a downward spiral as she loses her connection to her family — a condition that can afflict those who spend a long time in space — and when her lover begins another affair with an astronaut trainee, the bottom drops out.
You may recall that a real life event similar to this occurred in 2007, when a female mission specialist attempted to kidnap her rival. Noah Hawley, creator of FX’s series ‘Legion’ and ‘Fargo’ is set to produce and direct. The script is by Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi with revisions by Hawley and John-Henry Butterworth. Along with Hawley, James Cameron, Bruna Papandrea, and Reese Witherspoon are also producing.
The film was originally developed to star Witherspoon, but the production would have conflicted with filming of the second season of her hit TV series on HBO, ‘Big Little Lies’, which recently won four Golden Globes.
Production is expected to begin this spring. Once Portman is locked in, casting for her male lead is expected to commence. Hawley is wrapping production on the second season of ‘Legion’ and he has stated that the next season of ‘Fargo’ won’t be out until 2019, so that leaves him plenty of time to shoot this drama.
Portman was nominated for an Academy Award last year for her film ‘Jackie’ and won in 2010 for ‘Black Swan’. This film is mostly a drama, in her wheelhouse. It’s possible ‘Pale Blue Dot’ could earn her another nod.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
