Patty Jenkins' Cleopatra Film Is Still Happening, Gal Gadot Confirms
Can you believe there was once a period of time when Gal Gadot was known as "That actor from those 'Fast & the Furious' movies?" Ever since Zack Snyder cast her as the DC fan-favorite superhero Wonder Woman, Gadot has seen her star power rise to enormous heights in the years since. She's hosted "Saturday Night Live," appeared in "The Simpsons," and is now set to be one of the main three leads in Netflix's "Red Notice."
Along the way, of course, Gadot and director Patty Jenkins teamed up for both "Wonder Woman" films and struck up a close bond with one another. That collaboration is expected to continue with the announcement of a Jenkins-directed and Gadot-starring "Cleopatra" movie, though we haven't heard much in the way of updates since then. According to Gal Gadot herself, however, the project is still on schedule, has a completed script, and is set to begin production in earnest very soon.
Cleopatra Confirmed
We recently learned that Patty Jenkins' "Star Wars" movie has been delayed, so fans would be forgiven for feeling a little nervous about how that might affect the director's other projects. With that in mind, it's certainly a welcome sign to hear that "Cleopatra" is moving forward as scheduled. While promoting her upcoming turn in "Red Notice," Gal Gadot spoke with Collider's Steven Weintraub and confirmed that all systems are go for "Cleopatra." As Gadot put it:
"'Cleopatra' is definitely still happening. We have an amazing script and I cannot wait to celebrate and bring her story to the big screen."
The topic of Cleopatra, of course, is as ingrained in film history as any other epic. The original 1963 film starred Elizabeth Taylor in the main role and came this close to wiping an entire studio out thanks to a series of controversies, clashing of egos, and — oh yeah — its incredibly massive budget.
We're not expecting a repeat of that singular event film this time around, although this iteration of "Cleopatra" does come with some concerned reservations about the casting of the Israeli Gadot as the classic Egyptian ruler. That's not even considering the challenges of attempting to film a genuine blockbuster epic through the ongoing pandemic, which would seem to necessitate a large number of extras, an ensemble cast, and a significant amount of crew.
Though many felt that "Wonder Woman 1984" fell short of expectations, it's encouraging to hear that Jenkins is shrugging off the disappointing delay for her "Star Wars" film and continuing to stay busy, between her next "Wonder Woman" sequel and now "Cleopatra."