The idea of making a movie about Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie starring certainly has the ability to attract major directing talent, but it’s having difficulty keeping hold of them. It was first announced with James Cameron attached to helm, but he had to drop out when he signed a huge deal with Fox that meant he had to concentrate on Avatar sequels.
He was briefly followed by Paul Greengrass, before David Fincher came onboard to help develop the movie in March 2011. The film will be based on Stacy Schiff’s biography Cleopatra: A Life, which presents the Egyptian queen more as a strong politician than the seductress she’s normally presented as. Eric Roth has been rewriting the script and in interviews Ficher has been talking up his excitement over the project. However now he’s dropped out, according to Vulture, although there’s no reason been given as to why he’s passed on the project.
The movie isn’t dead though, as producers are now looking for a new director, with Ang Lee apparently one of possibilities, although at this point he hasn’t actually received an offer or started negotiations. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.