Natalie Portman Gearing Up For Directorial Debut

It was inevitable that actress Natalie Portman would take her turn at sitting in the director’s chair. Portman has been in the industry since she was a child, so she more than anyone knows that there’s usually a shelf life for actresses after a certain age. For Portman, branching out into other aspects in the industry is just one way to secure her position in the business.

Portman has already directed a few shorts, including a vignette for New York, I Love You, and now it looks like Portman’s ready to take on a full feature film.

In 2007 it was rumored that Portman may star and direct in an adaptation of Amos Oz’s memoir, A Tale Of Love And Darkness. After that the project seemed to disappear, but now it’s coming back in a big way.

Israel Hayon announced through a Natalie Portman fan site, that Portman is due in Israel in the fall to scout locations for A Tale Of Love And Darkness. This comes after it was rumored that Portman couldn’t close a deal on David Fincher’s Gone Girl for the lead role opposite Ben Affleck.

As for Portman’s directorial debut, it’s said that she wrote the script with two scribes. In addition journalist Amos Oz, whose memoir is the source material for the film has signed off and given Portman the rights.

An Amazon description describes the plot as:

“It is the story of a boy growing up in the war-torn Jerusalem of the forties and fifties, in a small apartment crowded with books in twelve languages and relatives speaking nearly as many. His mother and father, both wonderful people, were ill-suited to each other.”

“When Oz was twelve and a half years old, his mother committed suicide, a tragedy that was to change his life. He leaves the constraints of the family and the community of dreamers, scholars, and failed businessmen, and joins a kibbutz. He changes his name, marries, has children, and finally becomes a writer as well as an active participant in the political life of Israel.”

Looks like this promising project is right up Natalie Portman’s alley.