Natalie Portman looks awesome & hardcore in first images from The Black Swan

Oooh, I’m sorry I didn’t see this earlier! USA Today got the first images from Darren Aronofsky’s new films The Black Swan. The Black Swan stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel (swoon), and it’s the film where Natalie met her gorgeous ballet-dancing lover, Benjamin Millepied. Aren’t these images f-cking cool? Natalie looks amazing! USA Today had a preview:

The Venice International Film Festival apparently can’t get enough of Darren Aronofsky, even if he has switched his focus from muscle-bound men to dainty dancers.

The director took home a Golden Lion, the event’s top prize, for The Wrestler in 2008. Now he has been given the honor of opening this year’s 11-day event on Sept. 1 with Black Swan, a ballet-themed thriller due in late fall. “The cast and crew of Black Swan are both excited and humbled by the selection committee’s invitation,” Aronofsky said in a press announcement. “It is an honor to walk the great red carpet on the Lido, and we are excited to premiere our film to the wonderful audiences in Venice.”

The dark tale with psychological twists stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a technically brilliant ballerina whose life takes some strange turns after being picked as the lead in a New York City production of Swan Lake. Pressures mount as her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey) pushes her to succeed and her manipulative dance master (Vincent Cassel) commands her to be more seductive and loose in her performance.

Complicating matters is the arrival of Lily (Mila Kunis), a sultry dancer who exhibits all the innate ease and sexuality that Nina lacks. Nina begins to fixate on the newcomer as the two forge an unusual relationship.

“The worldwide attention given to the Venice film festival provides an exciting launch for Black Swan,” says Nancy Utley, president of Fox Searchlight. “We are very proud of our collaboration with Darren.”

After its premiere in Venice, The Wrestler went on to awards season glory, earning actor Mickey Rourke his first Oscar nomination and a chance at a career comeback. Fox Searchlight, which bought The Wrestler at the Toronto film festival after its Venice success, has similar hopes for Black Swan— and especially for Portman, who was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting part in 2004’s Closer.

As the actress tells USA TODAY about her troubled Nina: “The character was very interesting to play, always challenging and surprising. The fact that I had spent so much time with the idea — Darren and I started discussing doing the film in 2000 — allowed it to marinate a little before we shot.”

[From USA Today]

I generally find Aronofsky’s films to be hit-or-miss – I think he’s a self-indulgent director, and not all of his tricks benefit the story, sometimes it’s just something “cool” he wants to do. That being said, I think The Black Swan looks awesome. I’m going to see it – mainly for Vincent Cassel.

Here are some additional photos of the hot men:

The Black Swan photos, courtesy of USA Today.

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