Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman have signed on to star in a romantic comedy based on a new book by Leanne Shapton which has, for the moment, quite possibly the most unwieldy title for a major motion picture since we pitched **Unlandable 2: Upgrade: Holding Pattern, With Carl Weathers **to Working Title.
Anyway, the name of the book is Important Artifacts And Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry. That’ll look good on the poster.
It’s a fair bet that, by the time the Paramount Pictures movie goes before the cameras, it’ll have a new title. Whatever it’s called, it’s the pairing of Pitt and Portman that has us all kinds of excited, and reaching for our special glasses that we wear when we look at people who are impossibly beautiful.
Shapton’s book tells the story of a four-year failed relationship between fortysomething photographer Hal Morris (Pitt) and twentysomething food columnist Leonore Doolan (Portman) in an innovative way, taking the form of an auction catalogue, listing around 300 items which each tell a story about the relationship.
We may not like the title, but we love that premise, and certainly can see the potential for an adult-minded, sophisticated and hopefully very funny rom-com (with a twist, unless the couple get back together in the movie). It’s been too long since Portman did anything that was remotely fun (if you say Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, we’ll be forced to ignore you and remind you of Garden State), while Pitt’s easy charm should work wonders in this genre.
The duo will also produce the movie – Pitt through his Plan B, and Portman through her company Handsomecharlie Films. In fact, Portman brought the book to Pitt, whose company is based at Paramount, and the studio then won, rather aptly, a four-studio bidding war for the property.
No writer has been assigned yet. When that happens, their first title will be coming up with a new title. Something nice and generic and rom-commy… suggestions below, readers. Best one wins a signed copy of the script for Unlandable 2.