According to Variety, Pale Blue Dot could have a new star soon, as actress Natalie Portman (Black Swan) is working through negotiations to replace Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line).
Last October, Witherspoon had to leave the Fox Searchlight project because of timing issues in conjunction with the film and Big Little Lies, which scored plenty of awards at the Golden Globes. However, she is not leaving the project entirely, as she will stay on to produce Pale Blue Dot with Bruna Papandrea (Gone Girl). Witherspoon will also be acting in the upcoming and much-anticipated Ava DuVernay film A Wrinkle in Time.
Written by Elliott DiGuiseppi and Brian C. Brown, Pale Blue Dot follows a female astronaut after she has completed a long mission in space and will, thematically, question how extended periods of time away from their planet of origin will potentially affect a human’s perception of actuality, experience, and events. Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) will direct.