Natalie Portman has been signed on to play the lead in Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN supernatural thriller, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
The film, set up at Universal since 2007, and based in the world of New York City ballet, has been changed a bit in the last two years. Universal put the film in turnaround and has been making the rounds at the studios and specialty divisions. Development exec at Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, Mark Heyman, has done a re-write of John McLaughlin's original script. Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures and Protozoa are producing.
BLACK SWAN is about a veteran ballerina (Portman) who is locked in competition with a rival dancer, but it's unclear whether the rival is a supernatural apparition or if she's just having delusions, similar to THE OTHERS.
The film could start shooting this year if a sale to a studio happens quickly. Aronofsky is also developing a ROBOCOP reboot at MGM.
