'Cleopatra' Remake Planned as a Bloody Political Thriller with Director Dennis Villenueve, Angelina Jolie
The planned "Cleopatra" remake with director "Blade Runner 2049" director Denis Villeneuve and starring Angeline Jolie has a bloody political slant in its plot. Screenwriter David Scarpa confirmed the tone of the story in a recent interview.
Scarpa, who also wrote "All the Money in the World" that opens on Christmas day, told The Hollywood Reporter that his version of "Cleopatra" won't have the expected pageantry of big named stars. Instead, it will be a political thriller with a potential R-rating.
"Dirty, bloody, lots of people swearing and having sex and all of that other stuff and just treat it as a two-hour, lean, mean political thriller, full of assassinations, etc," Scarpa said. "[It's] Just going the opposite direction from the way we think that movie is going to go."
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Scarpa also confirmed that Villeneuve will direct the movie. It won't, however, be director's next project since the Villeneuve will work on the adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune" next, which is also a remake.
Angelina Jolie's name has long been attached to the "Cleopatra remake. She was promoting "Maleficent" in 2014 when she confirmed the movie's development with Eric Roth as the original screenplay writer. Elizabeth Taylor played the title in "Cleopatra" in 1963.
In 2016, Sony brought in Scarpa to rewrite the script based on the book "Cleopatra: A Life" from Stacy Schiff. The studio tapped Villeneuve as director in September but did not officially announced if he agreed to the project.
There isn't a rush to bring "Cleopatra" on the big screen though. The people behind the production want to get this movie right, thus taking time is an essential.
"I imagine the preparation for it is going to be big," Jolie said when she discussed "Cleopatra" in the press. "It's one of those that you think maybe that's the one you put everything into and that's where you end it, that's where you finish - in a great way. What could you do beyond that one?"
