Sharing a few updates on his upcoming movie project with Jolie, the director said that he is not interested in making an epic take on the classic Egyptian queen story.
- Dec 20, 2011
AceShowbiz - After working on high-profile movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)", director David Fincher is set to develop another potential big film with Angelina Jolie called "Cleopatra". Speaking to MTV News, the filmmaker shared that he's seriously working on the upcoming film and revealed that it is not going to be a "sword-and-sandal epic."
"That's something I would love to do with Angie. It's something that was brought to me that you have to take seriously," said Fincher. "[Producer] Scott [Rudin] has this wonderful book, and hopefully [screenwriter] Eric [Roth] can find a way in."
He continued, "I'm not interested in a giant sword-and-sandal epic. We've seen scope; everyone knows we can fake that. That stuff doesn't impress in the way that it did even 10 years ago. We expect that from Starz [now]. So that's not the reason to do that. What is it about this character that has purchased this place in our history and imagination that is relatable today?"
"Cleopatra" will present the fabled Egyptian queen as a firm ruler and military tactician who embarks on a ruthless rise to power. She twice married her brothers, killing each of them as well as a sister. Romantic alliances with the much-older Roman honchos Julius Caesar and Marc Antony help her solidify power, but her dalliance with Antony undid both of them.
In addition to talking about "Cleopatra", Fincher gave more updates on his other upcoming projects, including the big screen take on Eric Powell's comic "The Goon". He said, "We're still trying. Eric rewrote his script. He got away from the genesis story, and I feel like we need to go back to a little bit of what he had before."
"I don't think you can tailor what Powell does to what Hollywood does. I think you have to allow for the disparity," he added. "I don't think you can go into it saying, 'We have to make it fit into this box.' Everything is a digression from what the main through line is."
On whether or not he will collaborate with Trent Reznor as a composser again, Fincher said, "We've talked about a lot of stuff. I would do anything for him. I feel so lucky to have had his attention for the year and a half that I've had it. I'm not going to push my luck. I'm walking on eggshells. I don't want to piss that guy off."
