‘Wonder Woman’ power-duo Gadot, Jenkins to pair up for ‘Cleopatra’ biopic

Gal Gadot all set to paint her own historic caricature with news of her upcoming role. 

The Israeli star intends to pay homage to the legendary Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, in a historical drama, teaming up once again as a power-duo with the critically acclaimed “Wonder Woman” director, Patty Jenkins. 

Laeta Kalogridis, who wrote “Alexander” and “Shutter Island,” has been given the reigns for scripting the biopic. 

The announcement came after Paramount prevailed in a heated bidding war for the film’s rights, beating out Apple, Netflix, Warner Brothers, and Universal. According to Deadline, Paramount’s promise of an accelerated timeline and a big budget theatrical release helped seal the deal.

Hollywood has been vying to get a Cleopatra reboot off the ground for years. Angelina Jolie was priorly approached with the role, all but slated to star in a project backed by Sony. 

There were even rumours that uber pop-artist Lady Gaga was being considered for the part after her highly praised performance in “A Star Is Born.”

Cleopatra had once been portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in 1963. The film gained huge notoriety for its off-the-charts production costs, including a record-setting salary for Taylor, played it up as the ‘manipulative seductress’ stuck in a love triangle with Marc Antony and Julius Caesar.  

Costing 44 million dollars, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release, nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox in the process. 

Gadot and Jenkins’ last collaboration was on the Wonder Woman “1984″ sequel – the release has been pushed back to Christmas 2020 amid the pandemic.  

Gadot cheered on her new role, taking to Twitter to applaud the opportunity. 

“I love embarking on new journeys, I love the excitement of new projects, the thrill of bringing new stories to life. Cleopatra is a story I wanted to tell for a very long time. Can’t be more grateful about this A team!!”

[Sourced from Agencies]