Michael Fassbender may be meeting his friends and foes for Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” soon. Twitch Film reports that Natalie Portman is in early talks to take on the role of love interest Laura, while Jeremy Renner remains a top contender for the villain role of Reiner, though Scott is said to be leaning towards Javier Bardem. No official offers nor negotiations have commenced.

Scripted by Cormac McCarthy, “The Counselor” has been described as “‘No Country For Old Men’ on steroids.” Fassbender will play a lawyer who decides to dip his toe into the drug business without getting in too deep. Of course, that doesn’t turn out so well for him. Laura unwittingly gets dragged into the mess, while another pivotal female role, Malkina, has yet to be filled. All the roles should be locked down soon, given how quickly the turnaround has been thus far and with a May start date looming.

Acting steadily since she was 13, Portman received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for 2004′s “Closer” and followed it up with a win her second time around for Best Actress in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological ballerina thriller “Black Swan.” Always deft at doing both indie and mainstream films, she followed it up with a couple of lower brow comedies, “No Strings Attached” and “Your Highness”, and played love interest to Chris Hemsworth in Marvel’s blockbuster hit “Thor.” It was thought her return to acting would be in a pair of Terrence Malick films – “Lawless” and “Knight of Cups” – filming this summer and fall, but if she signs on, “The Counselor” will get that distinction instead.