David Fincher steps away from Cleopatra

Angelina Jolie won’t be directed by David Fincher in the new version of Cleopatra – the Se7en filmmaker has dropped out of the project due to his busy schedule.

That’s not surprising considering how slow production on Cleopatra has been. Fincher last showed an interest in it way back in March 2011 .

Sony is currently looking for a high-profile replacement and apparently top of the list is Ang Lee, director of Brokeback Mountai n and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon .

Given Lee’s track record with sweeping love stories, we reckon he’s a perfect fit for the film – though it’s a shame we won’t get to see Fincher’s take on the historical epic.

Jolie, who will star as the Egyptian queen, previously discussed her take on the monarch, remarking that “she wasn’t a great beauty” .

Sony’s Cleopatra will be a revisionist take on the life of the Egyptian queen, and a real depature from the Elizabeth Taylor version .

Producer Scott Rudin describes it as a “much more grown-up sophisticated version. She’s not a sex kitten; she’s a politician, strategist, warrior.”

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.