Portman To Reprise 'Professional' Role?

Posted Friday, November 30, 2001 at 9:53 AM Central

by John Couture

Acclaimed French director Luc Besson announced this week that he's planning a sequel to his 1994 cult hit The Professional, aka Leon. However, he'll only pursue a sequel if Natalie Portman agrees to reprise her debut role of Mathilda.

In the sequel, Mathilda follows in the footsteps of Leon (played by Jean Reno in the original movie) by becoming a successful assassin. Portman, who is studying Psychology at Harvard full-time and is committed for the balance of the Star Wars prequels, has not indicated whether she'd be interested in the role.