Portman Declines Heights

Natalie Portman is probably holding out for an adaptation of an Anne Bronte novel. 

Well, that didn’t last long. It seems like just a month ago that we were reporting that Natalie Portman had signed on to play Cathy in the latest tiresome attempt to film Emily Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights. Alas, Variety is telling us that Ms. Portman has dropped out of the project. No word on why. Either she got a look at the script and wasn’t impressed or she saw some costume sketches and realized that even she couldn’t make hair and fashions of the 1840s look good (and this is a woman who pulled off the bald look).

Here’s how Variety describes the film’s current situation:

Portman’s exit has left the financiers, sellers and producers in a world of pain just days ahead of this year’s Festival de Cannes, during which the movie is due to be sold.

A “world of pain”? That seems a touch excessive, but I’ll allow them their drama.

Director John Maybury is said to prefer casting a British actress to take the place of Portman. That seems reasonable enough. But who? Keira Knightly might feel done with the 19th century after her turn in Pride and Prejudice, and at the ripe old age of 23 may be aging out of British It Girl of the Moment status. Surely there must be a British pop star or model who could fill the role.

Screenwriter Olivia Hetreed, best known for adapting Girl with a Pearl Earring, is said to be steering away from the “stuffy costume drama” format. If you’ve ever read Wuthering Heights (and I’m assuming this is not Ms. Hetreed’s first time) you would know it is much harder to steer it into a “stuffy costume formate.” Thus the history of problems in adapting the book.