While the world waits for the sequels to Avatar, that doesn’t mean others in Hollywood aren’t trying to lure James Cameron away and get him to direct something else first. With a report they describe as ‘tantalizingly possible’, Deadline says that Cameron is flirting with the idea of directing Cleopatra, which is in development over at Sony, with Angeline Jolie attached to star.
Deadline says ‘James Cameron and Sony Pictures Entertainment are exploring the very real possibility that he will direct’, however they have no more details than that, so it’s unknown whether he’s merely flirting with the project or if he’s seriously thinking about settling down with it. It is a big and epic enough story for him, but with preparation going on for Avatar 2 & 3, as well as him producing Fantastic Voyage and At The Mountains Of Madness, would he really have time?
The film be based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra: A Life, a book that peels the myth from the Egyptian queen to reveal the woman underneath – who turns out to be a formidable but very human character. While Jolie is definitely attached, she’s waiting to make her final decision on the film until she’s seen the script, although if Cameron does get involved, it may make it more difficult for her to say no.
At the moment, Cameron directing is little more than rumour, and to be honest it’s difficult to imagine him saying yes, but it seems the possibility is there.