Finally, a real project for Natalie. According to Variety, She will star alongside Jonathan Bailey in Pumping Black, a film directed by Mimi Cave (Fresh), set in the world of cycling.

According to the article, the film is a psychological thriller set in the competitive and cutthroat world of professional cycling. The feature will be directed by Mimi cave, best known for directing 2022 horror “Fresh,” starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, and 2025 comedy-mystery film “Holland,” starring Nicole Kidman. Cave will direct from a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels.

The synopsis is as follows: Pumping Black follows cyclist Taylor Mace, who at 35-years-old is finding himself aging out of the sport. He is taken under the wing of Andrea Lathe, a doctor driven by her own thirst for victory and power. As the race to the Tour de France progresses, Taylor must take increasingly dark measures to protect his secret. According to the description, it’s an “adrenaline fuelled, dangerous thriller” likened to both “Whiplash” and “Black Swan.”

The film is being produced by Stacey Sher at Shiny Penny (“The Hateful Eight,” “Heretic”), Cave, Anton’s Sébastien Raybaud (“Victorian Psycho”) and Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas from MountainA (“May December,” “Arco”). Anton is fully financing, with production scheduled for the fall (Just in time for Natalie to comfortably return to work after her pregnancy).

Let’s hope this new project comes to fruition, after others that have been left in limbo, like Tom Hooper’s film. We also still know nothing about Richard Linklater’s dream project, of which we learned a few details months ago. Hopefully, we’ll have more information in the coming weeks.