Benjamin Button scribe Eric Roth penning a rewrite of Cleopatra, David Fincher still attached to direct

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It looks like the team behind THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON may be bringing CLEOPATRA to cinematic life.

According to Variety, screenwriting A-lister Eric Roth (BENJAMIN BUTTON, MUNICH, THE INSIDER, FORREST GUMP) is in early discussions to re-team with producer Scott Rudin (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) and Sony Pictures to rewrite Brian Helgeland’s original CLEOPATRA draft, itself an adaptation of Stacy Schiff’s best-seller Cleopatra: A Life. Roth will reportedly begin writing “in the coming weeks or months.”

The major change in this iteration of the Egyptian pharaoh’s tale is that it will come from the feminine perspective, portraying Cleopatra as a master strategist rather than a outright seductress. What I like so far is that no one is making any mention of turning Cleopatra into some sort of literal soldier or any such other Hollywood nonsense. If we’re treated to a film that plays on the machinations of war and politics (I’m thinking a little in the vein of “Game of Thrones”), then this could be something interesting.

And particularly so if David Fincher actually commits to directing the project. Fincher is still attached, though the man’s upcoming slate is a busy one what with THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (the sequel to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) and possibly 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA on the horizon. The addition of Roth, however, makes Fincher’s potential involvement much more plausible.

As for the queen herself, Angelina Jolie is still attached to the role which was initially said to be tailored specifically for her.