Natalie Portman To Star In Western Jane Got A Gun

Natalie Portman hasn’t really converted her “Black Swan” Oscar win into anything of real significance (fun turn in “Thor” aside). I sure hope she’s not going to fall into the dreaded Best Actress curse that has plagued so many A-list talents. If her next project is any indication, she just might have something special to beat that so-called curse.

Today, The Hollywood Reporter scooped the news that Portman has signed on for a Western called “Jane Got A Gun”. It’s an interesting choice of genre and a good departure for her. But what’s really exciting about the project is that it will be helmed by Lynne Ramsay, who last directed one of 2011′s best films: “We Need To Talk About Kevin”. The script is also said to be an excellent one, being written by a guy named Brian Duffield. “Jane Got A Gun” made the famous Hollywood Black List, which is a collection of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood.

The story is described like this: “After her outlaw husband returns home shot with eight bullets and barely alive, Jane reluctantly reaches out to an ex-lover who she hasn’t seen in over ten years to help her defend her farm when the time comes that her husband’s gang eventually tracks him down to finish the job.”

This is a great combination of talent, and under Ramsay’s direction, Portman should flourish. Look what Ramsey got out of Tilda Swinton in “Kevin”. Personally, I can’t wait.