Natalie Portman eyes screen version of Israel book

Natalie Portman

Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has expressed interest in directing a film version of Israeli writer Amos Oz's internationally acclaimed autobiography, a production spokesman said on Thursday.

Portman, 25, who is best known for her starring roles in the recent Star Wars trilogy, may also act in A Tale of Love and Darkness if it is brought to the big screen, Jerusalem Capital Studios spokesman Danny Levy told Reuters.

"JCS has met with Portman to discuss the possibility of her participating in and directing a film version of the book," he said.

A Tale of Love and Darkness describes Oz's upbringing in Jerusalem amid the fighting during which the Jewish state was founded. Israeli media said Portman was interested in playing Oz's mother, who committed suicide when the author was a youth.

Portman was born in Jerusalem and speaks Hebrew. In 2005 she appeared in Free Zone, a road movie by Israeli director Amos Gitai that explored the tensions between Arabs and Jews in the Holy Land.