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Natalie Portman is reportedly the frontrunner to play Sinead O’Connor in a biopic about her life.
The Irish Grammy-winning singer passed away from natural causes at the age of 56 in July 2023 – just 18 months after the death of her son.
In the days leading up to her tragic passing, Sinead was rumoured to be deep in discussions for a biopic inspired by her life.
Now, Natalie is said to be in the running to take on the role, with a source telling The Sun: ‘Natalie is the actress the filmmakers want to play Sinéad.
‘They think she is the spit of Sinéad in terms of her physicality but as an actress, they know she has the strength and power to do justice to Sinéad.’
Earlier this week, Variety reported that Irish production company ie: entertainment, which executive produced the O’Connor documentary is behind the film.
Natalie Portman is reportedly the frontrunner to play Sinead O’Connor in a biopic about her life (pictured in May)
The Irish Grammy-winning singer passed away from natural causes at the age of 56 in July 2023 – just 18 months after the death of her son (pictured in 1990)
Daily Mail has contacted Natalie Portman’s representative for comment.
The film was previously have said to have been based on her June 2021 autobiography Rememberings.
According to insiders in 2023, the iconic artist had been considering a star-studded cast for the pivotal role, which included Hollywood’s Demi Moore.
Irish actress Saoirse Ronan was also in the running to play an earlier stage in Sinead’s life as well as Niamh Algar.
A source explained that when exploring initial concepts for the film, Sinead liked the idea of a ‘triptych approach’ and envisioned a film that would spotlight three distinct actresses.
They added that this creative direction playfully alluded to the Catholic Church’s symbolic trinity of father, son, and the Holy Ghost and added a touch of satire into the narrative.
An inquest into Sinead son Shane’s death in November said the pair had a ‘complex and turbulent’ relationship but were also very close and ‘in some way dependent on each other throughout their lives.’
The body of Shane O’Connor, 17, was found in a secluded area at the back of a housing estate outside Bray, Co Wicklow on January 7, 2022 less than 24 hours after he was reported missing from Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin.
In the days leading up to her tragic passing, Sinead was rumoured to be deep in discussions for a biopic inspired by her life (pictured in 1999)
A source said: ‘They think Natalie is the spit of Sinéad in terms of her physicality but as an actress, they know she has the strength and power to do justice to Sinéad’
The Nothing Compares 2 U singer, who formally identified her son’s body to gardaí, died suddenly herself from natural causes just 18 months later in London.
At the time of Shane’s death, he was due to be under supervised 24/7 one-to-one care.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard the teenager had been brought to the emergency department by his mother on December 29, 2021 after a drug overdose, in what was believed to be an attempted suicide.
Sinead O’Connor’s father Sean described how his daughter and Shane were ‘very close.’
‘They loved each other madly,’ he observed.
Mr O’Connor outlined how the singer was also suffering mental health issues around the same time of her son’s death.
‘She was not in a position to do more than she did, which was a lot,’ he added.
