Pitt, Portman pair for ‘Artifacts’

Variety reports Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman will pair up in a romantic comedy based on the Leanne Shapton’s book, “Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry.” (Because The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford weren’t enough of a mouthful.)

The book takes the form of a Sotheby’s-like estate auction catalog, with 325 entries and photographs depicting items that reveal the private moments and the rise and fall of a four-year relationship between the fictitious couple Hal Morris (a 40ish photographer) and Lenore Doolan (a New York Times food columnist in her late 20s).

Shapton, an illustrator and art director of the Times’ op-ed page, uses items that range from clothes to notes, emails and heirlooms to convey the excitement, hopes, dreams and, ultimately, the heartache of a love affair that runs its course.

With The Tree of Life possibly pushed back to 2010, The Sparrow and The Lost City of Z slated for next year as well, we might not see Artifacts until 2011.