Natalie Portman has been waiting almost 20 years to reprise her “Star Wars” prequel role.
The “May December” actress revealed during a GQ career retrospective (below) that after starring as Padmé Amidala in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy films, she is “open” to returning to the franchise but hasn’t been asked.
“I have no information on this. No one’s ever asked me to return, but I’m open to it,” Portman told GQ.
Portman’s final appearance as Padmé was in 2005 film “Revenge of the Sith,” in which the character seemingly died. Padmé was the love interest of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and the mother to twins Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.
Portman additionally responded to her “Thor: Love and Thunder” director Taika Waititi forgetting that she was in “Star Wars.” Waititi is set to be writing and directing an upcoming “Star Wars” feature film that deviates from the core franchise characters.
“He says he did because he like asked me if I wanted to be in a ‘Star Wars’ movie and I was like, ‘I was,’ ” Portman remembered. “I thought he was joking. He’s such a joker that I thought it was a joke. And then afterwards he said in some interview that he was like cringing afterwards.”
“Star Wars” producer Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in April 2023 that Waititi is still currently working on his yet-untitled film.
“Taika is still working away,” Kennedy said. “He’s writing the script himself. He doesn’t really want to bring others into that process and I don’t blame him. He has a very, very unique voice. So we want to protect that and that’s what he’s doing. But we’re going to make that one day.”
The film’s release is currently dated for December 19, 2025.
Waititi teased that his “Star Wars” vision will “expand” the universe behind the sci-fi franchise. “I would like to take something new and create some new characters and just expand the world, otherwise it feels like it’s a very small story,” he said in June 2022.
The “Jojo Rabbit” Oscar winner is believed to also be starring in the film.
