Natalie Portman is to wander the windy Yorkshire moors in a new movie version of Wuthering Heights, it has been confirmed.

The V For Vendetta actress is to star as Catherine Earnshaw in the upcoming Bronte adaptation, the first English language film of the book since 1993.

Having honed her English accent with roles in Closer and recent historical epic The Other Boleyn Girl, Portman will now have to tackle the Yorkshire dialect for her portrayal of Emily Bronte’s headstrong heroine Cathy.

John Maybury, director of The Jacket and the soon-to-be-released Dylan Thomas biopic The Edge of Love, is to helm the project, though a start date has not yet been confirmed.

Ecosse Films will produce Olivia Hetreed’s (Girl With a Pearl Earring) script, with HanWay Films in charge of its worldwide release.

“Natalie is without a doubt one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation,” HanWay’s Tim Haslam told the Hollywood Reporter.

“Combined with visionary director John Maybury, this promises to be a fresh, exciting version of a classic love story.”

And according to Robert Bernstein of Ecosse Films – who will produce the film alongside Douglas Rae – Portman has the “intensity and depth” to provide an iconic rendition of the role.

While the book has been adapted a number of times for both the big and small screens, the 1939 edition starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon is viewed as the authoritative version, having earned eight Oscar nominations.

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A music boss wants to turn Natalie Portman into a pop star, after an April Fool’s Day prank created a storm of publicity.

On Tuesday Rob Hitt, the head of Independent label I Surrender, circulated the false story that Portman had signed a deal with the company to make an album that was “Patty Smyth, but folksier”. Hitt even created a forged MySpace page to accompany the tale. And after a wave of support and interest from music fans and Portman devotees, Hitt has decided to call for the actress to try her hand at music for real.

He tells the New York Daily News, “We got so much positive feedback, let’s see what she’s got.”

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Natalie Portman is taking to the Internet for a little political advocacy. In a new, 30-second public-service announcement, the actress, 26, encourages people to get out and vote. “Voting’s how our democracy works,” she says.

Non-partisan – and unaffiliated with the presidential election – Portman’s spot focuses on the importance of participating in the democratic process. “To vote is to express yourself,” she says.

Tethered to a new documentary Chicago 10, about protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Portman’s message also directs viewers to Takepart, a forum that allows for the discussion of current political issues of concern.

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Splash

On being labelled an “intellectual actress”:

“I’m not the hard, brainy girl at all. I’m really mushy. I’m much more mush, I think, than anything else!”

On her childhood:

“I was a spoiled, only child in a Jewish family. Very outgoing. But we didn’t have any money as my dad was still training to be a doctor while I was growing up. He was training until he was 40, so throughout my childhood it wasn’t like we were poor, but there wasn’t any luxurious spending.”

On growing up in the public eye:

“I was one of those kids that wanted to be older, act older, talk older, which I now think is a complete shame. I try to make up for that now by being outdoors more, playing, being silly and not being afraid of that. I don’t feel that I missed out on normal life per se. I’ve had real life experiences.”

On turning vegan:

“I was around Tobey Maguire in rehearsals and he’s vegan and I was, like, this is nice. I’m honest about caring about animals. I haven’t been very healthy – eating a lot of fried foods, pizzas, so it’s good to detox – no caffeine or alcohol.”

On how her views have been defined by her dual nationality (she has both an Israeli and a US passport):

“I definitely think it makes you more aware of the importance of politics, even though I’ve become a little cynical. Politics seem to be corrupt everywhere. Here [in the US] in particular.”

On her perspective on being an actress and a celebrity:

“You get used to seeing yourself or reading about yourself in the paper and you can get really detached from yourself. Which is scary. How you can be like, “oh, that’s the image of me, but this is the real me.” But, of course, the image is part of who you really are.”

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They’re separated in time by 500 years but there is one thing that unites Betty Suarez and Anne Boleyn (on-screen at least): their taste in bling! Both ladies sport identical “B” necklaces on Ugly Betty and in The Other Boleyn Girl. Actually, the design America Ferrera’s character sports was inspired by the style worn by the late queen in real life back in the 15th century.

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Natalie Portman turned down the chance to star as an ass-kicking Snow White in a kung-fu version of the fairytale. Martial arts movie maker Jet Li was rumored to be directing the adaptation, with Portman in the frame play the lead.

The actress confirms she was offered the part, and loves the idea – but won’t be terrorizing evil queens and dwarves anytime soon. She says, “It (the movie) exists and it was offered. I’m not planning to do it. It is a fantastic idea. They should do kung-fu versions of every fairytale.”

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