Cleopatra: Gal Gadot Offers Update on Remake

It has been almost two years since Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins set up a movie about the life of Cleopatra. After leaving Paramount (and being pursued by Universal) and changing directors (Jenkins stepped away to focus on other projects), the movie is seemingly back in motion -- although obviously, with the Writers Guild of America on strike and the Screen Actors Guild looking ready to follow suit, that's a relative term. That said, in a new magazine interview, Gadot talked about the decision to take on the role, why it's important, and what she's hoping to accomplish with the movie.

Since Cleopatra is a well-known historical figure, this is of course not the first time someone has made a movie about her. Famously, Elizabeth Taylor played Cleopatra in a 1963 film. Still, most of those have relied heavily on a very mythologized version of the story, in which Cleopatra was treated a bit like Helen of Troy -- as a woman so beautiful that everyone around her lost reason.

"Israel borders Egypt, and I grew up with so many stories about Cleopatra, and she's like a household name," Gadot told Vogue Hong Kong. "You know, if Wonder Woman is the imaginary strong female leader, Cleopatra's actually the real one. That's a perfect example of a story that I wanted to tell because I started reading different books about Cleopatra, and I said, Wow, that's fascinating. All I ever saw in regards to Cleopatra from film, was that she was this seductive woman who had an affair with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. But the truth is, there's so much more to her. This woman was so ahead of her time. Egypt and what Egypt was back then, was still futuristic to where we are today. I can't say much. But to me, I'm so passionate to tell her story and to bring justice to this character, and her legacy and celebrate her and her legacy. We have a beautiful script, and I cannot wait to share this story with the world and change the narrative of Cleopatra simply being a seductor."

Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland will helm Cleopatra, from a screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Altered Carbon). Cleopatra will be produced by Jenkins, Gadot and her Pilot Wave Motion Pictures partner Jaron Varsano, and Atlas Entertainment's Charles Roven. Kalogridis will serve as executive producer.