What's done is done -- and, in this case, we love it.
Natalie Portman is set to play Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender's Macbeth in a recently announced film adaptation of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. Scheduled to begin shooting later this year, the movie will be directed by Justin Kurzel ("The Snowtown Murders") and written by Todd Louiso and Jacob Koskoff ("The Mark Pease Experience"), according to Screen Daily.
"Macbeth" will mark Portman and Fassbender's second collaboration, as the pair recently wrapped a still-untitled Terrence Malick movie set amid the Austin, Texas, music scene and filmed at this year's South by Southwest festival. The movie is one of several projects that each of the stars has on the horizon. Fassbender also recently wrapped "The Counselor," written by Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott, and the highly anticipated Steve McQueen film "Twelve Years a Slave" -- both of which feature all-star casts that include the likes of Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Quvenzhane Wallis and Paul Giamatti. Portman, on the other hand, has a "Thor" sequel in the works along with a second Malick project co-starring Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale and a western called "Jane Got Her Gun."
Screen Daily reports that Portman has long been interested in taking on the role of Lady Macbeth, an iconic Shakespearean villain known for her vindictiveness and powers of manipulation. The actress had previously considered stage versions of the play in hopes of portraying the character. Past big-name Lady Macbeths on the screen and stage have included Vivien Leigh, Judi Dench, Diana Wynyard and Helen Mirren.
The upcoming adaptation will reportedly retain Shakespeare's original language and the play's 11th-century setting.
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