Blade Runner 2049’s Denis Villeneuve in Talks for Cleopatra

Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049 is in talks for Sony's Cleopatra

Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049 is in talks for Sony’s Cleopatra

Denis Villeneuve, director of the upcoming film Blade Runner 2049 is in talks to develop and direct Cleopatra for Sony Pictures, according to Deadline. Cleopatra will be based on the Stacy Schiff biography “Cleopatra: A Life,” and will be produced by Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal. A number of names have been in the mix to take on the epic project including David Fincher, James Cameron and Paul Greengrass.

The Amazon description for “Cleopatra: A Life” reads: “Her palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first and poisoned the second; incest and assassination were family specialties. She had children by Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most prominent Romans of the day. With Antony she would attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled both their ends. Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Her supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost.”

Villeneuve is known for directing Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival, and his name has been mentioned as a possibility to direct the upcoming James Bond film. He’s also developing a version of Frank Herbert’s Dune for Legendary Entertainment. Blade Runner 2049 has already gotten largely positive reviews on social media from critics who have seen the film.

The script for Cleopatra has reportedly been worked on by David Scarpa, Eric Roth and Brian Helgeland and Angelina Jolie is a possibility for the role. What do you guys think of the idea of Denis Villeneuve taking on Cleopatra? Are you excited to see Blade Runner 2049 when it hits theaters on October 6? Let us know in the comments.

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