Michel Hazanavicius In Talks To Direct Tom Hanks ‘In The Garden Of Beasts’; Natalie Portman Circling Role

Oscar-winning director Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist) is eyeeing an adaptation of In the Garden of Beasts, the 2011 non-fiction book by Erik Larson. Tom Hanks would star as William Dodd, the United States’ ambassador to Nazi Germany prior to World War II.

Additionally, Deadline reports that Natalie Portman is circling the role of Martha, Dodd’s flamboyant daughter who is initially caught in the pomp and glamor of Hitler’s Third Reich. She has a series of affair, including with the surprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, the Dodds’ witness first-hand the horrors of Hitler’s true ambitions.

The project is being set up at Universal and needless to say, this looks like the kind of picture that screams awards bait given the talent involved and the historical significance of the premise. Hanks and Portman would certainly make for a highly compelling father-daughter duo but don’t expect to see the both of them in the near future as no writer is on board as of yet.

What do you think?