Even though Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1963 “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox due to its troubled production, Hollywood looks eager to bring the sword-and-sandal epic back to the big screen. Of course, we don’t need to mention Steven Soderbergh’s grand, 1920s based, 3-D musical version with a score by Guided By Voices and starring Hugh Jackman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ray Winstone. That production fell apart once “Moneyball” came in the picture and we don’t need to remind you what happened there, and for now, the picture seems to be on the backburner.
However, another long-gestating “Cleopatra” film is the works from producer Scott Rudin. The producer acquired the rights to Stacy Schiff’s recently published “Cleopatra: A Life” way back in 2006 after he read a 10-page proposal. That must’ve been one helluva riveting read. Well, speaking at lunch this week to promote the book, Schiff mentioned and Rudin’s office confirmed that the film is definitely in development “for and with” Angelina Jolie to play the lead role.
Yeah, we can see that. Jolie has that sort of regal stature to pull off the role and she’s no stranger to playing period-specific royalty, portraying Olympias in Oliver Stone’s “Alexander.” But who to play Mark Antony and Julius Caesar? Schiff dream casts Brad Pitt for the former, but for the latter, she’s stumped. Your thoughts?
yikes. does not sound good to me.
Not PITT!! Get some people who can act. Ian McKellan as Julius Caesar. Tahmoh Penikett as Antony.
Jennifer Aniston as Julius Caesar, Angelina as Mark Antony and Brad Pitt as Cleopatra for artsy gender-bending antics and exciting real-life resonance.
Think of the "Team Caesar" and "Team Antony" T-shirt merchandising possibilities.
You're welcome, Jeff Snedier.
LOL @Jessica Kiang
And um…do we really want a repeat of Angelina Jolie in Alexander. That was BRUTAL.
SEAN
UGHGGGGGG
Fuck this is horrible. Angelina sucked ass in Alexander, we dont need any more bad accents & scary looking eyes
Damnit Scott Rudin please stop why do you want to ruin a classic staring the great Liz Taylor
Damn you
Does anyone else fall asleep a little when they read news on movies like these? I love Angelina, but damn, zzzzzz.
I think the second Elizabeth movie was the last time I'll ever pay to see powerful people with regal and emotionless faces wear Oscar-winning costumes and break some sort of royal customs that means nothing to us anymore.
"SHE WAS SUCH A REBEL IN HER DAY!! WATCH HER REFUSE TO DANCE WITH LORD DULLINGSLY!"
someone need to see "alexander" and to stop this idea
Disappointing.
Playlist, would you say it's likely, between these and the competing 20,000 LEAGUES adaptations, that both Soderbergh and David Fincher will lose out on being able to film their versions?
STOP REWRITING HISTORY! Although I like Angelina Jolie as an actor, I'm really sickened by this decision. Once again we have history repeating itself. The original role was stolen from Lena Horne and given to Elizabeth Taylor due to racism at the place in time. Even though Cleopatra was a woman of colour, they refused to see a light-skinned Black woman play her and replaced her with a white woman in dark makeup. Fast forward decades later and they're doing the same thing. This role should be offered to the actress such as Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry or Thandie Newton. Most ppl today, especially young ppl DO NOT know history. Stop rewriting history and tell it like it is or was!!