Back in 2006, producer Scott Rudin optioned a book about the legendary Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra, by Stacy Schiff, with an eye turning it into a film. It may have taken him a few years, but it seems Rudin is now pushing forward with the project, and USA Today, says his top pick to play the icon is none other than Angelina Jolie.
One word of caution though – the publishers are currently promoting the newly released book, and it certainly sounds good to link Jolie’s name with a film version when you’re trying to get people to buy it. However it is definitely a project Angelina is currently involved in, with USA Today saying ‘Rudin’s office confirms that the project “is being developed for and with Jolie,”‘ but that doesn’t definitely mean she’ll make it, just that she’s interested.
Of course Cleo isn’t exactly the luckiest of movie subjects, as the 1963 Joseph L Mankiewicz film about her, starring Elizabeth Taylor, nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox and had its star nearly die a few weeks into shooting (you can read more about that here). More recently Steven Soderbergh put together a musical version of the queen’s life, which had Hugh Jackman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ray Winstone attached, but that seems to have been discarded. Perhaps a film with Jolie starring will have a little more luck.