Queen Amidala to play Lois Lane?

Posted Thursday, November 20, 2003 at 3:17 PM Central

by John Couture

Hollywood's next glamorous leading lady Natalie Portman is the latest person to be swept up by the Superman hype. Rumors indicate that Portman is close to signing on to play investigative reporter Lois Lane for the much maligned franchise. Although, a coy response from her agent of "nothing's conclusive" is setting off wild specualtion.

Warner Bros. has had problems resurrecting this franchise for the better part of a decade. Mainly, their problems stem from a lack of actors willing to step up and don the red cape and boots. Pretty much every breathing male in Hollywood has gone up for the role with the same result: no dice. The latest star to be rumored as the next Man of Steel is Brendan Fraser.

Warner Bros. has said that they are looking to revitalize the franchise by going for a more youthful look. The 22-year-old Portman would fit the bill nicely. The only potential hangup of this deal is the fact that Portman just finished filming the three Star Wars prequels. So, one would imagine that she's probably not jumping at the bit to join another large action franchise.

Personally, I think she would make a great Lois Lane, but she might be too witty and talented to cast opposite Brendan Fraser. Either way, it's always good to speculate on the unknown.