REUTERS/Gerardo Garcia (MEXICO)
Just picture it: James Cameron’s Cleopatra, starring Angelina Jolie. In 3-D.
This movie is what Deadline calls “tantalizingly possible.” Jolie has long wanted to play the Egyptian queen, and James Cameron and Sony Pictures Entertainment are reportedly in serious discussions to take up the project. The script would be an adaptation of the book Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff, which breaks down the stereotypes to show rare facts and stories about the queen. Schiff, for one, wants Brad Pitt to play Mark Antony. (See pictures of Cleopatra through the ages — does Jolie fit the bill?)
Jolie has raved about Cleopatra in various interviews, constantly expressing her desire to tackle the role. In one interview, she said:
“I always thought her life was very glamorous. Then I read her story and found a different side to her – that she was a mother, leader and an intellect who spoke five languages! Her upbringing also reflected her relationship with Rome — all that is much more interesting than what she was summed up to be.”
Naturally, Cameron won’t pinch pennies for the project; Deadline says industry execs are calling it a “Gone with the Wind epic.” We think Jolie is a natural casting choice, though the massive scale of Cameron’s projects means Egypt could end up looking a little like Pandora. So this could either be spectacular — or spectacularly bad. When it comes to 3-D Cleopatra, there’s really no possibilities in between.