Just as Oscar buzz for Natalie Portman’s Black Swan performance is heating up, the young actress has been offered the lead in Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller Gravity.

If Portman accepts the offer, she’ll play Ryan Stone, a technician on her first space walk who braves the emptiness to find a way back to Earth, alongside the long attached Robert Downey Jr.  But, make no mistake, Stone is the lead and alone on screen for much of the challenging concept.

Angelina Jolie was originally on board for the role, but later passed.  Then Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively tested for the part before Warner Bros went back to Jolie, who declined again.  Portman’s possible involvement means shooting could start this winter after a tumultuous casting process.

The script, co-written by Cuarón and his son Jonas, is extremely ambitious and requires the actors to endure simulated weightlessness.  The filmmaker, whose Children of Men is a visually-arresting masterwork, may also be planning a 20-minute opening shot in 3D and a 60% CG production.

Original article: http://www.newsinfilm.com/2010/09/09/natalie-portman-offered-lead-in-alfonso-cuaron-movie-gravity/