Natalie Portman may not have been seen on the big screen since "Thor" in 2011, but she's got a slate of projects on the way. Of course, there's the double dose of Terrence Malick projects waiting in the wings, and later this year "Thor: The Dark World," while she's currently shooting the troubled western "Jane Got A Gun." It's a diverse array of stuff, so what's next? How about something described as "Heathers" meets "Fight Club"?
Deadline reports that Portman is being courted for an adaptation of Megan Abbott's novel "Dare Me." The film centers on the heirarchy of a high school cheerleading squad, led by the commanding Beth, who finds her influence usurped with the arrival of a new coach. It's a dark tale, and we're not sure quite sure what role Portman is being offered, but probably a safe bet that it's the new coach. But maybe those of you who have read the book can clue us in if there's another significant role? Here's the Amazon synopsis:
Addy Hanlon has always been Beth Cassidy's best friend and trusted lieutenant. Beth calls the shots and Addy carries them out, a long-established order of things that has brought them to the pinnacle of their high-school careers. Now they're seniors who rule the intensely competitive cheer squad, feared and followed by the other girls -- until the young new coach arrives.
Cool and commanding, an emissary from the adult world just beyond their reach, Coach Colette French draws Addy and the other cheerleaders into her life. Only Beth, unsettled by the new regime, remains outside Coach's golden circle, waging a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as "top girl" -- both with the team and with Addy herself.
Then a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death -- and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.
"The Vow" director Michael Sucsy is attached to direct, but no word yet on where this might fall in his schedule, as he has a handful of developing projects.
Source.