By With their superheroic Wonder Woman 1984 still to be released, Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins are looking to the future with a story closer to life yet every bit as epic: Cleopatra.
The ancient historical epic is scripted by Laeta Kalogridis, whose feature credits include Alita: Battle Angel and Shutter Island. Kalogridis was also the showrunner on Netflix’s Altered Carbon before it was cancelled after two seasons.
Jenkins is set to direct her Wonder Woman star in the title role, with Cleopatra‘s script having been won by Paramount in a recent bid against the likes of Netflix, Apple, Warner Bros, and other major studios. Patty Jenkins, Atlas Entertainment, and Gadot’s Pilot Wave Motion Pictures are set to produce.
Paramount’s Cleopatra win might seem like a far-out prospect for filmgoers, given the circumstances of production and exhibition under the pandemic, but the project is said to be on an “accelerated timetable,” with the studio looking to move forward with a “big budget theatrical release” as soon as possible, with studios all around feeling the pressures of a lulled schedule incited by the coronavirus.
It’s great to see Gadot and Jenkins maintain a partnership beyond their DC films, the shorthand between lead and director strengthened over time. With 1984 standing strong for a theatrical release and a third Wonder Woman apparently in the pipeline, theirs is an actor/director partnership we’ll be seeing quite a bit of in the coming years.
Source: Deadline