Netflix Wins Bidding War for Natalie Portman, Lena Dunham Rom-Com ‘Good Sex’ With $55 Million Sale

variety.com:

Ellise Shafer Netflix has emerged victorious in the bidding war for Lena Dunham‘s new rom-com “Good Sex,” starring Natalie Portman.

The film was revealed to buyers at last month’s European Film Market by CAA Media Finance and FilmNation, and Netflix is now closing a worldwide deal around the $55 million mark — one of the largest to ever emerge from EFM. “Girls” creator Dunham is set to write and direct “Good Sex,” which stars Portman as couple’s therapist Ally, who rejoins New York’s dating scene in her 40s after a decade-long relationship. “But Ally finds her life pulled in opposing directions as she falls into a steamy fling with a 20-something Brooklyn hipster just as she begins a promising, more conventional relationship with Alan, a successful 50-something in Manhattan,” the film’s synopsis reads. “As a romantic crossroads blossoms into a full-blown identity crisis, Ally juggles to keep these two very different men separate and to make sense of her own conflicting desires before she risks losing them both.” Portman is also producing “Good Sex” alongside Sophie Mas under their MountainA banner, with Dunham and Michael Cohen producing for their company Good Thing Going.

Netflix declined to comment. FilmNation and CAA did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. Dunham is preparing to premiere her new Netflix series “Too Much” this year and recently entered a creative partnership with the streamer.

She’s also writing a a movie about cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried for Apple and A24, based on Michael Lewis’ book “Going Infinite.” Oscar winner Portman most recently graced the big screen in Todd Haynes’ critically acclaimed “May December,” which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.