Natalie Portman and More Find Ghosts in a Planetarium
As a New Yorker, one of the most fun things I’ve ever done was see the Pink Floyd Laser Light Show at the Hayden Planetarium. During the show the Laserium would fill with all manner of smoke… and not just from high-powered machines. Yep… saw some pretty crazy things there, but ghosts? That’s a different story and probably a different mind-altering substance.
Variety is reporting that Natalie Portman and Lily Rose Depp, the daughter of actor Johnny, will play spiritualist sisters in Planetarium, a 1930s-set drama to be directed by French helmer Rebecca Zlotowski (Grand Central).
Planetarium will mark Portman’s first time working with a French director since her role in Luc Besson’s Leon in 1994. She’s been beefing up on her French to prepare for the role.
Although plot details are kept under wraps, Zlotowski told Variety that the film follows the journey of sisters who are believed to possess the supernatural ability to connect with ghosts. They cross paths with a visionary French producer while performing in Paris.
The political context of Planetarium will have a modern resonance with the current crisis and rise of extremism in Europe. The character of the producer is freely inspired by Jewish producer Bernard Natan, one of the biggest French film industry figures of the ’20s and ’30s, who eventually died in Auschwitz.
The film is co-written by Zlotowski and Robin Campillo, who previously penned The Returned, the feature film that inspired Canal Plus’ supernatural drama series.
Frederic Jouve’s Les Films Velvet is producing; Ad Vitam will distribute in France. Principal photography will begin in Paris in September for an expected delivery in May 2016.
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