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

Netflix has secured the rights to Lena Dunham’s upcoming romantic comedy, “Good Sex,” starring Natalie Portman, after winning a competitive bidding war.

Unveiled to buyers during last month’s European Film Market by CAA Media Finance and FilmNation, the film is now set for a global deal with Netflix valued at approximately $55 million. This marks one of the most significant acquisitions to emerge from the EFM.

Dunham, the creator of “Girls,” will write and direct “Good Sex.” The story follows Portman’s character, Ally, a couple’s therapist who re-enters New York’s dating scene in her 40s after a long-term relationship. According to the official synopsis, “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. 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 production banner. Dunham and Michael Cohen will produce through their company, Good Thing Going.

Dunham is gearing up for the release of her new Netflix series, “Too Much,” later this year, following her recent creative partnership with the streamer. Additionally, she is writing a film for Apple and A24 about cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, based on Michael Lewis’ book “Going Infinite.”

Portman, an Academy Award winner, was last seen on the big screen in Todd Haynes’ acclaimed drama “May December,” which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Alongside “Good Sex,” her upcoming projects include the animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Twits,” Guy Ritchie’s heist film “Fountain of Youth,” and the thriller “The Gallerist,” where she will star alongside Jenna Ortega.

Read the whole article on Deadline.