It may have been a little while since we last heard of the Cleopatra movie starring Gal Gadot, but the actress told Vogue Hong Kong that the project is still moving forward and that it will “change the narrative” about the leader.
“This woman was so ahead of her time,” Gal Gadot said of Cleopatra. “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.“
Gal Gadot continued: “Israel borders Egypt, and I grew up with so many stories about Cleopatra, and she’s like a household name. 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.” Gal Gadot was initially set to reunite with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins for the Cleopatra movie, but she later dropped out of the project and was replaced by Kari Skogland (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier).
The casting of Gal Gadot has generated controversy, but the actress has spoken out in her defence. “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra,” Gadot told BBC Arabic in 2020. “I have friends from across the globe, whether they’re Muslims or Christian or Catholic or atheist or Buddhist, or Jewish of course,” Gadot continued at the time. “People are people, and with me I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historic icon that I admire so much…You know, anybody can make this movie and anybody can go ahead and do it. I’m very passionate that I’m going to do my own too.”
The biggest version of Cleopatra’s story is undoubtedly the 1963 version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The shooting took years to complete and the enormous budget nearly bankrupted the studio, but the results are incredible. The sheer extravagance of the sets and costumes, not to mention the thousands of extras filling the screen, make it an experience to behold.