Rachel Weisz to Play Jackie O

News

Now if this isn’t perfect casting I don’t know what is. EW’s Hollywood Insider is reporting that Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) plans to produce and direct the film Jackie with his fiancee Rachel Weisz in the titular role of Jackie Kennedy. For newcomer Noah Oppenheim, his screenplay “catalogs the four days between JFK’s assassination and his burial, showing the beloved Jackie at both her most vulnerable and her most graceful.”

The Pulse: Okay so the synopsis makes it sound like Peter Morgan’s The Queen, which is a reflective look at Queen Elizabeth in the wake of Princess Diana’s fatal car accident in the Pont de l’Alma. Still, there’s no doubting the impression Weisz will make in such an iconic role. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has been portrayed numerous times before, at different stages of her life, by the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jacqueline Bisset, Roma Downey, Jill Hennessy, and Emily VanCamp.

Whether or not Aronofsky will actually direct the biopic, it seems more of a way to help sell the project to studios. They see Darren Aronofsky’s name attached, they’ll also think of The Wrestler which was a critical darling and Academy Award nominee. (Personally, I think he was robbed of a Director’s nomination.) To garner the attention of Weisz and Arronofsky, Oppenheim’s script must be a great read.

Currently, Darren is putting the finishing touches on Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. The director is also attached to a reboot of RoboCop, but it is unclear if he’ll go on to do that project next or this drama instead. Either way, I can’t wait to hear who will be added to the cast.

Sound Off: Okay, we know how much of a production debacle the last Weisz/Aronofsky collaboration (The Fountain) was, but this sounds more promising. Studios are more apprehensive about period pieces, but if costs are low, this could turn out to be one of the ones to watch in 2011 or 2012. So what do you guys think about this project?

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!