Sign on the dotted line: Angelina Jolie, seen here signing an autograph for a fan in Budapest, is being lined up to take the title role in the new Cleopatra filmAngelina Jolie is being lined up to play the title role in the new Cleopatra film.
The 35-year-old actress, who is currently filming in Hungary, is apparently 'anxious' to be involved in the remake of the 1963 movie starring Eizabeth Taylor.
Avatar director James Cameron is also in talks with Sony to direct the film.
James, 56, and Sony Pictures Entertainment are exploring the 'very real possibility that he will direct Angelina Jolie in a 3D version of the film', according to website Deadline.com.
Iconic: Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 production of CleopatraThe film will be based on Stacy Schiff's book, Cleopatra: A Life, which follows the life of Cleopatra, including her romance with Julius Caesar, her affair with Mark Antony and her death.
Schiff herself is keen for Jolie to play Cleopatra, saying 'physically, she's the perfect look'.
'I think she'd be perfect for it and I can see a possible Oscar in her future,' she said.
Schiff is also apparently hoping for Brad Pitt to play Mark Antony, just as Liz Taylor's then-lover, Richard Burton, did in the 1963 version.
'Brangelina are the Burton/Taylor of our day, reconciling and breaking up within a day in the tabloids,' she told USA Today.
But critics have said the Egyptian queen should not be played by a white actress.
A writer from Essence Magazine said: 'I don't care how full Angelina Jolie's lips are, how many African children she adopts, or how bronzed her skin will become for the film, I firmly believe this role should have gone to a black woman.
'Why does Hollywood think it's even slightly plausible to cast white women in roles that would be more suitable to cast a black actress for? Especially when that role is an African queen?'
Historic roles: Angelina Jolie with Connor Paolo in the 2004 film Alexander. She is now set to play Egyptian queen Cleopatra
Intimate: Angelina and her partner Brad Pitt kiss on the film set in Budapest, where the Salt star is making her directorial debut
Ready for my close-up: Brad takes pictures of Angelina, who has been forced to film in Hungary rather than Bosnia after being denied a permit for the former war-torn countryJolie is currently making her directorial debut as she films a Bosnian war love story.
However, the filming is taking place in the Hungarian capital Budapest after Bosnian authorities denied Jolie a permit to shoot in their country amid protests by rape victims who object to its alleged subject matter.
The 1963 version of Cleopatra costs $44million to make - leaving the production $42million over budget.
source : dailymail
