Denis Villenevue In Talks To Direct Beleaguered Cleopatra Movie

Mean girls Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal are not ready to give up on making Cleopatra happen. After the 2014 Sony hack revealed how they really felt about proposed star Angelina Jolie, things looked like they were heading in the direction of a gargantuan celluloid disaster the likes of which had not been seen since, well, since Cleopatra. But now, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve is in talks to take on the probably cursed project.

According to THR:

Multiple big-name directors have been attached, at one time or another, to helm the historical epic, including Ang Lee, David Fincher and James Cameron. Villeneuve, who gained the industry’s attention with the smaller crime dramas Sicario and Prisoners, has proven that he isn’t afraid to take on high-concept, high-stakes projects.

Scott and Amy are producing the film jointly under Scott Rudin Productions and Pascal Pictures. The script they have is based on a the 2010 book Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff which is supposed to be more about Cleo being a bad bitch ruler and negotiator and less about her funny haircut and bewbs.

Denis is the hot new thang director at the moment so maybe they can pull this off. But if Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra and Angie (shady queens the lot of them) have cursed this project already, then I’m not holding out much hope. If they start filming and wigs start catching fire left and right then we’ll know Liz’s alabaster finger was at work. If men start dropping like flies because of poisoned dates from the craft services table then we’ll know Miss Cleo is displeased and if the movie gets any bad press, then it’ll be Angie’s doing. In any event, Scott and Amy better have good insurance.

Pic: Wenn.com (Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra, 1934)