Michael Fassbender gets his Lady Macbeth & it’s not Natalie Portman: huzzah!

Last year, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman worked together on a Terrence Malick film. I think they played lovers – at the very least, they were making out at one point. After they met and worked together, they quickly scheduled two more projects together – Jane Got a Gun and yet another film version of Macbeth, with Fassy playing Macbeth and Natalie as Lady Macbeth. It was bad news all around. But here’s a wonderful turn of events: not only did Fassy pull out of Jane Got a Gun a few weeks before he was supposed to start filming, but now it looks like Natalie didn’t even get the part of Lady Macbeth. Is it wrong to laugh? Because I’m laughing. YES!!! This news makes my Wednesday. Apparently, the Lady Macbeth role went to Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard. Um… I can see that.

Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard has boarded See-Saw Films’ Macbeth, to be directed by Snowtown‘s Justin Kurzel. Natalie Portman had previously been attached to play the scheming Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender as the iconic eponymous antihero. Fassbender is still in the mix. King’s Speech and Shame producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman are producing. Pre-production is slated for the end of the year with principal photography to kick off in the UK in January 2014. Studiocanal is financing the majority of the picture with Film4 and will handle international sales. It is also releasing in the UK, France and Germany. Cotillard is repped by CAA and Agence Adequat.

[From Deadline]

You know what? I think they’ll be hot together. Scheming hot. Murderously hot. Power-mad hot. While I’m not completely on the Cotillard bandwagon for all things, I do like her and I think she’s a talented actress, and I think this is inspired, out-of-the-box casting. Of course, now I kind of wonder if Fassy really didn’t care for Natalie Portman that much when they worked together. He’s certainly going out of his way to never work with her again.

Also, the new international trailer for The Counselor was released yesterday. I saw people talking about how badass Cameron Diaz looks here, and while it definitely looks like one of her better roles, I’m holding off on judging the female characters. I kind of think Cormac McCarthy has issues with writing women. As for Fassy… we get to see more of the plot and more of his character’s angst, but is he going to be doing his Darth Vadar voice the whole time?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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65 Responses to “Michael Fassbender gets his Lady Macbeth & it’s not Natalie Portman: huzzah!”

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  1. T.Fanty says:

    That’s great casting. I;m sure the movie will still suck, but MC is a good choice.

    • LadyMTL says:

      The more that I think about it, the more I like this casting decision. If I go by how she played the role of Mal in Inception, it bodes well for her being the totally nutso Lady Macbeth, lol.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I agree. As an actor, I think she has something kind of dark behind her eyes so I think it will be put to great use in this role.

    • Anna says:

      I think she’s a good fit as well, but I really do not enjoy watching her.

      • RocketMerry says:

        Me too. Seems like a good fit on paper but when I think of her acting… I think she has her moments, and when she does, she is exceptional, but she’s not one of the best, most solid modern actresses ever.
        She can be hit or miss, I guess, but who else could they get for this project, really?

        As for “The counselor”, I’m pleasently surprised; everyone looks good in it (although I’m a bit underwhelmed by Pitt’s bad guy; maybe it’s just that scene that was meh)!

      • Anna says:

        At least now we can tell what it’s about. From previous trailers I couldnt even tell the good guy from the bad, or the stakes.

    • Sixer says:

      I’m dreading this film.

      I suppose MC’s casting is the best we could have hoped for.

    • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

      Anything but Natalie ……

  2. ClaireB says:

    Oh god no. No. She cannot act in english.

    • Oops says:

      absolutely and she’s not very good in freanch either

      • fingerbinger says:

        I guess you’ve never seen her in ‘La Vie en Rose’.

      • Oops says:

        @fingerbinger: I saw her in a lot of movies, she’s not bad but she’s not our best actress, we have far better actresses but they are only famous in France.

    • LB says:

      I enjoy her work but I can’t unsee her last scene in the Batman movie. I won’t spoil it just in case but I an positive people will know what moment I am talking about. Such terrible acting.

  3. Leah says:

    Excellent casting!

  4. Maria says:

    This makes me happy, Natalie is not a diverse actress-Marion and Michael will be infinitely more interesting to watch on-screen.

    As for The Counsellor, Cameron does nothing for me (whatsoever), I’m in it for Bardem and Faasbender.

  5. Shelley says:

    Oh hell no…this woman is no Lady Macbeth! She might even be a worse option than Natalie Portman. I still propose someone else like Jessica Chastain would be better suited to this role.

    • manta says:

      After watching Coriolanus,I’m not convinced that Chastain would be a top choice. I found her a bland Virgilia and in every scene they had together, Vanessa Redgrave absoultely outshone her.

      • Lauren says:

        Ooh agreed. Sometimes good, but on the whole a little bland; that’s how I’ve come to see Chastain.

  6. Maureen says:

    *comment deleted*

    I read the headline wrong and thought the pick WAS Portman and I had a little fit. But thank God, it’s not her. I love Marion!! I have no idea if she can do this, though. Anyone remember when Juliette Binoche was bizarrely cast as Cathy in Wuthering Heights alongside Ralph Fiennes? She was awful! I’m not so sure about putting French actresses in roles from classic English lit when they have accents.

  7. allons-y alonso says:

    All I saw was ‘Lady Macbeth- Not Natalie Portman’ – Thank you Jesus, Allah, Buddah, Oprah!!!!

  8. Blue says:

    I’ll watch Michael Fassbender in anything so I can’t wait to see him in this. Marion will make a much better Lady Macbeth than Natalie. Fassy needs a strong woman at his side, not the young girl Natalie Portman often appears to be on screen. Fass looks so hot in The counselor trailer I’m literally counting the days until it comes out.

  9. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    AND IT BEGINS….

    Fassdong is back y’all!

    (thank God–we need some more of him and the Hardydong)

    • Anna says:

      I feel like he hasnt really been away all that much, what with the build-up to The Counselor and shooting/comicon appearances for XMen.

    • Lee says:

      I’ve been waiting for an excuse to post this for over a week and I couldn’t believe how long we had gone without a Fassbender post!

      The weekend before last I saw Fassy at a championship roller derby match! It was so random. I stood 2 feet from him and we looked each other straight in the face. No one else I was with knew who he was though so I’ve been dying to share this with the celebitches!

      I don’t often swing that way, but I can confirm his attractiveness in person.

  10. CocoaPuffs says:

    I read somewhere that Fassy tried to pick Marion up a few months back even though she has a boyfriend and a child and she was like “That ginger beard isn’t getting any biscuit action from me.” If that’s true then this is going to be really awkward.

    • Elodie says:

      Yeah it was a false story. They said he tried to kiss her at the H. Weinsten party or something…and right after that they tried to link him with a black model who was attending that party as well…with her boyfriend. Anyway all false lol!

  11. judysee says:

    No way. Was Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton not available? Both are infinitely better choices than Marion Cotillard. I suppose they went with her because Studio Canal is producing. Though it is never said, Lady Macbeth always struck me as Macbeth’s age or older.

    • Jayne says:

      Agreed. Wasn’t there any English
      thespian actresses available? I find that really hard to believe.

      This is another example of putting names into a movie. What about Anne-Marie Duff? She did a part in King Lear for the National Theatre.

    • Lauren says:

      I always thought of Lady Macbeth as older, too.

      Kristen Scott Thomas would be perfect (nevermind that she said she played her character in Only God Forgives as a sort of Lady Macbeth). But probably “too old” since this seems like a very Hollywood production.

      I think this is going to be shit and that’s why – I fear a Hollywood-styled Shakespeare. I am VERY protective of my Shakespeare.

      Other actresses I can imagine:
      Def Blanchett, maybe Winslet? Rachel Weisz? Robin Wright?

  12. blue marie says:

    with them 2, I’ll give it a watch

  13. minime says:

    The trailer looks great!! I want to watch that movie!
    I’m one of those that is completely on the Cotillard bandwagon, so I can only be happy with that choice 🙂

  14. M.A.F. says:

    I never believed Natalie Portman would play Lady Macbeth. I figured they just threw her name out there to get buzz around the film. Marion Cotillard is a much better choice in my opinion.

  15. drea says:

    I think Marion’s an interesting choice (definitely better than Natalie), but they’re going to have to do so much work on her pronunciation. This version’s following the original text, no? If they don’t iron that out, most of us aren’t going to understand a word.

  16. Me says:

    BYE, Natalie! And good riddance. I’m 100% convinced Fassbender had loads to do with this decision to get rid of her. Marion’s beautiful but I don’t know about that accent. I’m strongly side-eyeing that accent.

    • Samantha says:

      See, but historically (if they’re doing it in the right period, and maybe even if they’re not) the French accent is totally reasonable. It will be interesting to hear, if she keeps it.

      • elisa says:

        I kind of hope that she will keep at least some of her accent. I love her work – La Vie en Rose, A Very Long Engagement, Midnight in Paris, Inception. I think that the only film that I haven’t seen of her is Batman – but I don’t like Batman.

        Anyway, I can definitely see her as Lady Macbeth. I think she’ll be great.

        She’s been my fantasy casting for Katherine of Valois for years, if they ever do yet another adaptation of Henry V. Or any film about Katherine.

      • Mairead says:

        She had muted it a lot for Public Enemies, it was there but very faint.

  17. Samantha says:

    LOVE THIS. Huge fan of Cotillard, and, no lie, last night while I was trying to sleep I thought “Ooh, you know who should make a movie together? Fassbender and Cotillard. That’d be awesome.” The only way it could be better is if it were Cate Blanchett, who I’m pretty sure I would murder people to see play Lady M.

  18. Ai says:

    Upgraded Lady McB! Waaaaay better than Natalie, so now I maybe will go see it. I liked some of Marion’s performances but not sure if she can do this role, I hope she can do it justice.

  19. ds says:

    Marion was amazing in Rust and bone and this now sounds like a movie I’d watch.

    • Cazzee says:

      Agreed – both of them are really interesting actors, and the chemistry between them will most likely be amazing. This is now a film I’m interested in watching.

  20. snappyfish says:

    poor Javier – why must he always have crazy hairstyles?

  21. Aud says:

    I like Cormac…don’t like Ridley [crap director].
    Love Javier and Fassbender…as for Brad. Ergh…one dimensional.
    I’ll wait for the DVD.

  22. Lucy says:

    Can someone tell me what the song is in the new trailer for The Counselor? Love it!

  23. Dani says:

    Yeah!! So glad Natalie did not get the role. She sucks and seems to want to attache herself to Fassy in some way.

    Marion is a MUCH better actress and will be perfect for the role. She is more on par with Fassy’s acting skill than Natalie anyway.

  24. I actually love Natalie Portman and think she would have done a great job… Marion is good too though, as long as she gets rid of her ever-present french accent.

  25. Kate says:

    I’ve wondered if Fassbender could be considered A-list now. He can’t really open a film on his own & he isn’t particularly famous, but I think he belongs in a category (like Jessica Chastain) where he’s basically recognized as A-list talent.

    The reason I say this is that a Justin Kurzel-directed MacBeth adaptation would never IN A MILLION YEARS have been able to land Cotillard without his name attached.

  26. AKA says:

    Ugh horrible choice. Cotillard has an awful English accent, and she’s a mediocre actress. There are so many actresses out there who can really nail this part and they pick her? And I don’t get the Portman hate. She was great in Closer, Garden State and Black Swan.

  27. Em' says:

    I don’t think Marion Cotillard can handle Shakespeare. I mean she speaks English well enough but she is far away from being fluent. I think it’s gonna be a hard one for her

  28. Mairead says:

    So. Much. Hot! (And talent!)

  29. Maria_Spain says:

    Gooosshhh I Hate Penelope Cruz !!!
    What did she do to get so much attention?

  30. Side-Eye says:

    Ugh, my sexy, beautiful ginger man…

  31. moon says:

    i’m wondering about the chemistry of this one, exciting! actually i think natalie is similar to fassy’s type/women he’s dated – intellectual, short, youthful looking, brunette. maybe her controlling ways on set pissed him off

  32. GByeGirl says:

    Should be Helena Bonham Carter! Or, they could go with an actually Scottish actress and cast Kelly MacDonald.