Let the Cleopatra feud begin!

Photo: Celebrity Dirty Laundry

There has been much talk about a 3D biopic with Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra and another of a rock musical film with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Cleopatra. Both say that these projects will start "immediately" (sounds a bit like the two Snow White films that came out within months of eachother, Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror).

There are now gossip sites saying that there is a feud between Jolie and Zeta-Jones...not sure that I agree that this is actually happening, but let the silly gossip begin: Celebrity Dirty Laundry

Eric Roth close to becoming writer for the 3D Cleopatra film

Photo: Very Aware

Eric Roth close to becoming writer on Fincher’s 3D CLEOPATRA pic

By Bill Melidoneas

"According to Variety, Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (FORREST GUMP, MUNICH, and THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON) looking reunite with David Fincher on his 3D CLEOPATRA epic. Oscar winning scribe Brian Helgeland (L.A CONFIDENTIAL) adapted the novel CLEOPATRA: A LIFE but it seems Fincher is bringing on his own writer to tailor the script to his cinematic style having worked with Roth on their Oscar-nominated efforts in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.

CLEOPATRA will take a closer, more intimate perspective from the Egyptian ruler showing her as a master strategist in war and politics. The film is slated to star Angelina Jolie, the only actress Hollywood believes is bankable in a big epic-type film such as this or for any big budget female starring vehicle.

This is going to be one of the most interesting and ambitious films Hollywood has put out in a very long time: a 3D historical epic taking on a new approach of a legendary character directed by one of Hollywood’s great contemporary filmmakers."

-Very Aware

Angelina Jolie doesn't want to play Cleopatra as a sex symbol

Click here to read the article

Angelina Jolie is determined to stun viewers with her portrayal of Cleopatra in an upcoming movie because it shatters the Egyptian pharaoh's reputation as a man-eating sex symbol.

Jolie will play the legendary leader in David Fincher's re-telling of the famous story, which is set for release in 2013 on the 50th anniversary of the classic original movie starring Elizabeth Taylor.

And the Kung Fu Panda 2 actress is adamant her version of the raven-haired queen will be far less glamorous than Taylor's infamous portrayal.

Jolie tells Britain's Stella magazine, "She has been very misunderstood. I thought it was all about the glamour, but then I read about her and she was a very strong mother, she spoke five languages and she was a leader.

"My performance will never be as lovely as Elizabeth's. We are trying to get into a different truth about her as a pharaoh in history and not a sex symbol, because she really wasn't. Even this idea of her having many lovers - it was possible that it was only two. She is very interesting, but she wasn't a great beauty."

Click here to read the article

Cleopatra Film Update: Jolie & Fincher

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

So will Jolie and Fincher be teaming up for "Cleopatra"? It seems that way. "Yes, we just don't know," she told us, "It's all very early. Fincher's been an old friend, so we've always been looking for something to do."

Click here to read the complete article by Eric Ditzian

The Cleopatra Clutch

Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry’s girlfriend, wore a Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch to the wedding reception of Princess Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. The designer, Lana Marks, was a personal friend of Princess Diana as well as the Princess’s favorite handbag designer. The Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch is made from exotic alligator. The Cleopatra Clutch is a red carpet standard in Hollywood.

So, let's see the other celebrities who have been spotted with the Cleopatra Clutch:

Angelina Jolie at the 2009 Academy Awards nominated for for Best Actress for her role in The Changeling

Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2005 Emmy Awards.

Jennifer Garner at the 2005 Academy Awards

Helen Mirren, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Queen

Charlize Theron, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Monster at the 2004 Academy Awards

Kate Winslet, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress

Lucy Liu at the Met Costume Institute Gala

Who should be Marc Antony in the upcoming Cleopatra film?

Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt are reportedly being considered to play Marc Antony in the upcoming Cleopatra film opposite Angelina Jolie. Who would you choose?

David Fincher - the new candidate for the Cleopatra film

Sony Pictures struggles to pin down a director for its in-development 3D Cleopatra biopic starring Angelina Jolie.

At the beginning, James Cameron showed interest, but is moving ahead with his Avatar sequels instead. The next candidate was Paul Greengrass, but he will instead be directing his own historical drama, Memphis.

Now The Social Network director David Fincher is reportedly being considered for the job. This would reunite him once again with producer Scott Rudin (who produced The Social Network and Fincher’s upcoming Girl With the Dragon Tattoo adaptation) but it would be Jolie's first time working with this director.

However, timing could be an issue as Fincher may want to make two more films in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series and the in-demand filmmaker has several other projects in the pipeline.

Cleopatra in the News: James Cameron is Out & Paul Greengrass is In To Direct Cleopatra

James Cameron is out and Paul Greengrass is said to be in to direct the 3D blockbuster, Cleopatra, starring Angelina Jolie and based on Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life. While producer Scott Rudin has said "we're pretty close" to choosing a director, Jolie, who is not only starring in the film but also helping in its development, has not yet given her seal of approval to the nominee for director; so in other words, it's not official yet! Greengrass's recent films have included The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Supremacy, Green Zone, and United 93. It is expected that Greengrass will provide audiences with a stronger story, as opposed to Cameron's focus on 3D effects.

Rudin explains that this film will be completely different than the 1963 Cleopatra
starring Elizabeth Taylor, "It is a completely revisionist Cleopatra, a much more grown-up sophisticated version...She's not a sex kitten, she's a politician, strategist, warrior..." One of the reasons he says this film will be different is because "...the histories of Cleopatra have been written by men. This is the first to by written by a woman." While yes, the female author Stacy Schiff wrote the biography the film will be based on, but all the other developers of the film are men. Brian Helgeland is developing the script, Scott Rudin is producing, and Paul Greengrass is (supposedly) directing. In addition, with Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra, something tells me this film film will still be very sex driven.

Cleopatra in the News: Pop Culture Creates New Heroines

"Cleopatra is kind of the perfect modern American woman even though she is not modern and she is not American"
-Bob Thompson

Pop Culture Creates New Heroines by Luisita Lopez Torregrosa appeared December 21, 2010 in The New York Times. This article examines how women have been portrayed in the media. The second part of the article focuses solely on how Cleopatra is the new role model for the modern American woman.

Click here to read Luisita Lopez Torregrosa's Pop Culture Creates New Heroines

Cleopatra in the News: Are Angelina Jolie & James Cameron Making a Film on Cleopatra?

There has been much talk about the dream team, Angelina Jolie and James Cameron, making a 3D film about Cleopatra. Producer Scott Rudin has bought the rights to Stacy Schiff‘s book Cleopatra: A Life, and wants Jolie to star as the sexy heroine. Rudin says the film is “being developed for and with Jolie.” Schiff, the author of the biography, has already given her blessing saying, “physically, she’s the perfect look.”

On December 7, 2010 when MTV asked Jolie if she will be playing Cleopatra she replied, "I hope to one day."

However, on December 14, 2010 at the California Hall of Fame, Cameron said that he has decided not to pursue making Cleopatra, but instead to focus on his upcoming project, Avatar 2.

While Cameron may be out, rumor now has it that real-life lover to Jolie, Brad Pitt, may be in!

We'll see what happens...