Cleopatera, the movie

[Gaius Decius Aquilius]

TWO in the works on Cleopatera....

HAH! I get to be the first to post on this .... beat Naurukami to it....!.... David, how could you let me get the scoop on this?

Angelina Jolie:
http://gossiponthis.com/2010/06/10/ange ... cleopatra/

and...

Cathren Zeta-Jones
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... patra.html

I suppose they won't get the armor right though, and will use the Gallic G... or something worse...

Ralph

[Astiryu1]

I am biased but think Catherine is a better choice. Angelina is attractive but not what I think of when Cleopatra is involved.

[Epictetus]

The one with Zeta-Jones will be a musical? hock: Interesting. I wonder if Jolie's will be more action-oriented.

But when it comes to movie Cleopatras, only one image comes to my mind.

[Astiryu1]

That is the one we have all seen. Pity there aren't any Ptolemies around anymore. I would like to see the real Cleo though.
I saw a documentary that went in search of the real Cleopatra.
[url:nk0lwc2w]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digging_for_the_Truth[/url]
Couldn't find any video but Season 2 episode 6 was decent enough.
The host investigates the Roman and Egyptian versions of Cleopatra.
Yes I said versions!!! This could get brutal. hock:

[john m roberts]

Angelina has already played Olympias, so she's got Macedonian cred. Okay, she was actually Illyrian or something, but still--- Anyway, either one of them is hot enough to convincingly ensnare Caesar and Antony.

[ArthuroftheBritons]

Ok, in defence of Cleopatra that's mainly info propagated by Augustus in order to make sure no one remembered her as an even moderately good polition. Personally though I don't care who it is so long as the history is right 8)

[Medicus matt]

I am biased but think Catherine is a better choice. Angelina is attractive but not what I think of when Cleopatra is involved.

She certainly has more experience when it comes to handling ancient parts. :twisted:

[Astiryu1]

Catherine is the daughter in law of SPARTACUS. So she has a little cred as well.

[Narukami]

TWO in the works on Cleopatera....

HAH! I get to be the first to post on this .... beat Naurukami to it....!.... David, how could you let me get the scoop on this?
Ralph

Points to you sir -- I do not know how I missed this ... must have been sleeping.

On the other hand, reading some of the comments on that site, I'm not certain I really missed anything at all.

I wonder if either production team has even bothered to do some basic homework, like reading Michael Grant's bio of the Queen for starters? And you are no doubt quite right Ralph, the armor will likely be standard issue Hollywood Roman. Though I guess we can hope for something better...

Cleopatra -- a musical ... in 3D hock: :roll: :|
Are they kidding with this? A musical seems very ambitious, but 3D is an absolute waste on this project. (Or on any film in my humble opinion.)

It will be interesting to see if either of these films ever get out of Development Hell and into principal photography. If they do, you can expect the entire Black Athena & Color Blind Casting arguments to return, louder and hotter than ever before.

And I thought the sequel to 300 was the beginning of the end for Western Civilization. Once again I under estimated Hollywood. :oops:

:wink:

Narukami

[Gaius Decius Aquilius]

If they do, you can expect the entire Black Athena & Color Blind Casting arguments to return, louder and hotter than ever before.

And I thought the sequel to 300 was the beginning of the end for Western Civilization. Once again I under estimated Hollywood. :oops:

Narukami

At least they did not go the RuPaul route in casting...

Or can I say that on here?
Maybe I should not give them any ideas...


I was originally going to send the below link to Naurkami. This is a bit off the thread, but some of our readers are interested enough in the Samurai that I thought to expand on this and post it anyway.

There was a recent remake of Furzin Kazan (Samurai banners, 1969?) that featured popular Japanese rock star Gackt. A few critics outside Japan thought Uesugi Kenshin (Gackt) was being played by a female actress. Actually, Gackt did a creditable role, and it was a serious film. It has been argued that the historic Uesugi Kenshin was, in fact a woman, and whether the filmed played on this aspect or not is up for debate. I still cannot find it in the US, but did find several clips.

Here is a rather long, but violent, clip from the film depicting the Iron Fan Incident, and the death of Yamamoto Kansuki . (I only found out a year or so ago that I am supposedly related to Kansuki.)

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/ ... 1425452485

What I find encouraging is the use of an effective traditional sounding music during the Iron Fan scene, although this gives way to Western schlock. Many Japanese films of the Samurai Epic film making period seem to want use a saxophone, which I think did not see much use in the Great Wars period. There is given attention to historic details, including the helmet, and facial features of Takada Sheigen, and even that Uesugi Kenshin rode a white horse. Kansuki's eye patch is a bit fanciful. Other scenes not posted here give a scruffer look to everyone except the absolute top dog Diamyo which is probably more in keeping with reality than not. If Hollywood did this flick they would probably put a gattling gun in place of someones forearm, and all the armor would grow spikes.

David, you are right about the decline of Western civilization. We could force our universities to make film majors study Kurosawa, or at least read an intro level history book… but … you know …

Ralph

[Niedel]

I read on Steven Saylor's page that the musical version supposedly will be set in the 1920s, so don't expect any costume accuracy whatsover ;-) )

[Astiryu1]

I thought being a 3d musical was bad enough...

[Narukami]

Being a 3D Musical is bad enough, but that has never stopped Hollywood. (Remember Planet Of The Apes - The Musical ... ?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XenfzSaIFTU

Here is some more Cleo news (the titles of the Zeta Jones film)

1. Hugh Jackman has pulled out of Steven Soderbergh’s forthcoming musical Cleo. Jackman was in negotiations to star as Marc Antony, however he has dropped out due to “scheduling conflicts”. I can only imagine that the rehearsing for the film somehow conflicts with Jackman’s hosting of the Oscars or another unknown film or stage role. As the film is looking for financing at the moment expect a replacement to be announced soon. Catherine Zeta-Jones will play the titular character.

Also:
Steven Soderbergh had been developing a 3D musical version of the historical beauty called Cleo with Hugh Jackman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ray Winstone set to star. The film has been lost in the myriad of projects that Soderbergh is currently working on.

Interesting the Jackman's name is still being mentioned in the Cleo publicity. Perhaps he is back on board, but I would not be at all surprised if this film ends up trapped in Development Hell. It sounds like Cleo will be a "modern" retelling of the Queen's story and it the rumors about being set in the 1920's prove to be true (and a rumor is just a premature fact) then this will bear more than a passing resemblance to that other hit musical: Chicago.

Al Capone as Julius Caesar?
Frank Nitti as Mark Antony?
Cleo as the leader of a rival gang?

Oh the possibilities ...
:? shock: :?

Narukami

[Paullus Scipio]

Just as an aside, if her coin portraits are anywhere near a good likeness, the real Cleopatra was no raving beauty, and in reality it is more likely that "Egypt" and all its fabled wealth was the thing that attracted Caesar and Antony.......

[Astiryu1]

Being a 3D Musical is bad enough, but that has never stopped Hollywood. (Remember Planet Of The Apes - The Musical ... ?)
Narukami

No I have never heard of the musical adaptation of Planet of the Apes. Was it a horror or comedy? :wink: :twisted: