A gritty western with a twist starring Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton and Ewan McGregor, directed by Gavin “Warrior” O’Connor? Yes, please!…. is what I would have said, if this was the first time we were hearing about the film. Alas, it most definitely is not, as Jane Got a Gun has had a production so troubled, that its destined to become the answer of several movie geek Trivial Pursuit questions. Day 1 no-shows by acclaimed directors, lawsuits, A-list actor walkouts, casting musical chairs that made the bad guy the good guy and no less than five different release date delays.
But now, with a rejiggered cast and a steady hand at the helm, the movie has eventually reached its final straight. And to prove it, a batch of new pics have been unveiled (via Natalie Portman.com) that give us our first looks at Portman as the titular Jane, and Edgerton as her ex-lover, who she calls on for help to defend her homestead when her shot-up outlaw husband stumbles home with his gang, who he had betrayed, hot on his heels for some vengeance. Ewan McGregor, who is not seen in the pics, is the gang leader looking to finish the lead poisoning job he started.
It’s a solid cast (although the lack of Michael Fassbender – who was the first casting shake-up casualty will always be missed) and O’Connor has already spun gold out of straw once before with Edgerton in Warrrior, a movie that on paper (and in its trailers) looked like some kind of cliched inspirational sports movie codswallop, but ended up being a visceral character drama. Not enough is shown in these pics to prove that he’s pulling it off again, but at least now we know with some certainty that both Portman and Edgerton can wear a hat real good, and yes, Jane definitely has a gun. Also, outlaws always like to shoot people in an orderly fashion.
Jane Got a Gun also stars Rodrigo Santoro, Boyd Holbrook and Noah Emmerich, and is scheduled for release *knock on wood* on September 4, 2015.
Last Updated: January 5, 2015
