Natalie Portman will star in and produce the Western "Jane Got a Gun" for director Lynne Ramsay. CAA is shopping "Jane," seeking a mix of equity, foreign presales and a domestic distributor to finance the film, a popular recipe now that studios are cutting back on their slates.
Natalie Portman‘s high-profile Western Jane Got a Gun will hit theaters on August 29, 2014, it was announced today.
The film, which co-stars Noah Emmerich, Ewan McGregor and Joel Edgerton, made headlines as filming began when director Lynne Ramsay dropped out following a three-day standoff with producer-financier Scott Seindorff. Following that, the film experienced numerous cast changes as Michael Fassbender abruptly quit and Jude Law and Bradley Cooper both joined the project and then dropped out. Edgerton took over the role vacated by Fassbender, while McGregor took on the villain character Law and Cooper were hired to play.
STORY: Inside the Turmoil on Natalie Portman’s Troubled Western ‘Jane Got a Gun’
Despite these issues, Relativity and The Weinstein Co. partnered to acquire Jane Got a Gun for distribution.
Earlier this month, producers of the movie sued Ramsay, alleging that she was paid $750,000 to tweak Brian Duffield‘s screenplay and helm the film, yet she didn’t follow through on her responsibilities and delayed production as a result. The lawsuit also alleges that Ramsay exhibited dangerous behavior on set, saying she was “abusive to members of the cast and crew” and noting she “failed to adhere to proper safety protocol for handling weapons on set, when she pointed a prop gun directly at a camera and, in turn, at the camera crew before first taking proper precautions.”
STORY: ‘Jane Got a Gun’ Producers Sue Director Lynne Ramsay: ‘Abusive’ and ‘Under the Influence’
Producers want Ramsay to pay back the $750,000 and are seeking punitive damages on charges of fraud and breach of contract. Ramsay’s rep subsequently told The Hollywood Reporter that she had not yet received the lawsuit: “Lynne Ramsay has not been served with this lawsuit and, when she is, she will respond in court and not in the media. That said, the allegations as recently reported are simply false. Lynne looks forward to presenting the truth about this situation in the proper forum.”
The Western, directed by Gavin O’Connor (Warrior), stars Portman as a frontier woman who has built a new life with her husband, played by Emmerich, after being tormented by the Bishop Boys’ outlaw gang. But when her husband gets into a fight with the Boys and their mastermind, Colin, played by McGregor, Jane is forced to turn to her former fiance (Edgerton) to protect her family.
