Natalie Portman In Talks To Portray Jackie Kennedy In Upcoming Drama

Natalie Portman is currently in talks to portray Jackie Kennedy in an upcoming drama, according to Deadline. The film, which will follow Kennedy’s life immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, is being distributed by FOX Searchlight. The company is also responsible for putting Natalie Portman’s dark ballet drama Black Swan into theaters.

Screenwriter Noah Oppenheim’s Jackie follows the events which transpired in the four days between John F. Kennedy’s assassination and his burial. The project once found its way into the hands of Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky and Rachel Weisz, who were a couple at the time. However, when their relationship fell apart, the film ended up back in cinematic limbo.

According to Indiewire, the project was once being shopped around by director Steven Spielberg, who said he would like to produce the film. At one point in the project’s storied timeline, HBO was interested in picking up the project.

If FOX Searchlight can get Natalie Portman on board as Jackie Kennedy, everything else should fall into place. After all, Portman is a hot commodity at the moment. Not only is she set to return for the highly-anticipated Thor sequel with Chris Hemsworth, the V for Vendetta star is also on-tap to star in Terrence Malik’s Knight of Cups with Christian Bale and Jane Got a Gun alongside Michael Fassbender.

We Got This Covered reports that Natalie Portman likes the script, though she won’t ink the deal until a director has been selected. Given Portman’s award-winning collaboration with Black Swan filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, there’s always the possibility FOX Searchlight could woo him back to the project. If that’s the case, it would mean that Noah Oppenheim’s Jackie would have to take a back seat until Aronofsky is finished with the Biblical drama Noah.

Do you think Natalie Portman is the right choice to play Jackie Kennedy?