Gal Gadot’s new Cleopatra movie has been steeped in both anticipation and controversy. Here’s everything that’s known about the historical biopic.

•  The Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie is taking a long time to develop because the filmmakers want to represent Cleopatra’s story respectfully.
•  The film has faced controversy over the casting of Gal Gadot and accusations of white-washing, but Gadot defends her casting and emphasizes the historical accuracy of Cleopatra’s ethnicity as Macedonian.
•  The upcoming movie plans to focus not only on Cleopatra’s appeal but also on her strategic capabilities and the impact she had on the world, aiming to tell a story that is relevant to today’s world.

A fair amount of Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news has been coming down the pipeline, both causing controversy and garnering a fair amount of anticipation. The famed ancient Egyptian queen has been depicted on the screen many times before but was most famously portrayed (and whitewashed) by actress Elizabeth Taylor in the eponymous 1963 historical epic. The latest actress to take up the mantle of Marc Antony’s lover was Casualty‘s Adele James in Netflix’s pseudo-docuseries Queen Cleopatra. However, it seems that the Egyptian Queen’s story has a difficult time being told on the screen without creating controversy, as the docuseries was panned by critics.

Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot announced via Twitter all the way back in 2020 that she was teaming up with filmmaker Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) and screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis to bring Cleopatra’s story back to the big screen, citing the importance of the tale being told through a woman’s eyes. Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news was relatively scant following this announcement but has since reared up again now that development is well in progress. Here’s everything that’s known about the upcoming Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie, including the cast, story, release date, and what has audiences up in arms.

The Latest Gal Gadot Cleopatra Movie News

The latest Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news saw the actress speaking up about the delays that have befallen the development process. During an interview with Flaunt, Gadot was asked about the status of the long-awaited Cleopatra biopic, and while her update was promising, she did acknowledge the delays. According to her, Gal Gadot’s Cleopatra movie is taking so long because she feels that the adaptation of such a renowned historic figure’s life takes time to depict respectfully. Gadot wholeheartedly wants to do Cleopatra justice, and she believes that the extra time taken to explore Cleopatra’s story is an integral part of the process. Her full quote can be read below:

It’s a big task. I don’t want to [rush] making it— it’s something that needs…so much thought and care because it’s Cleopatra. We have incredible writers working on the script—before and after the writer’s strike—like Laeta Kalogridis. It’s a beautiful script. We’re not rushing ourselves because you have to be responsible when you deal with such an incredible, iconic, legendary woman.

The Gal Gadot Cleopatra Movie Has Been Confirmed

While there is no Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie release date yet, the film is confirmed as being in development. The first bit of Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news came from the actress herself in 2020 and the project has been stuck in development hell ever since, facing further complications when it lost director Patty Jenkins and moved from Universal Pictures to Paramount in 2022. However, Gadot confirmed that the Cleopatra script was finished (via Collider) in 2021. Regardless, Cleopatra hasn’t begun filming, despite a slew of promotional images being released.

The Gal Gadot Cleopatra Movie Cast

Unfortunately, not a ton of Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news has come out about the cast of the upcoming film. So far, the only confirmed member of the Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie cast is Gadot herself. There are a few things known, at least, about the crew involved with bringing Cleopatra’s story to the big screen. While Patty Jenkins was initially set to direct, she’s since stepped away from the helm and will serve as executive producer. Her replacement is director Keri Skogland (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). In addition, screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) has reportedly penned the finished screenplay.

The Gal Gadot Cleopatra Movie Story & Controversies Explained

While there’s no real Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news about the actual story, it can be presumed that the film will chronicle the Queen’s place in Egyptian and Roman history as the lover of Julius Caesar, the wife of Marc Antony, and ruler of Egypt. The Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie story will start at an unknown point in the figure’s life, but will probably see her ascend the throne after the death of her father King Ptolemy XII Auletes. After marrying Roman General Marc Antony, their forces in the Civil War between Pompey and Caesar were slaughtered by the Roman Army of Octavian, and the couple died by suicide (via Britannica).

There’s no question that Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news has been met with controversy, namely, for whitewashing its main character. However, as similar controversy around the miniseries Queen Cleopatra and its Black lead (Adele James), the issue of race and adaptations of Cleopatra is not a simple one. Many were hoping that an Egyptian actress would take on the role of the Egyptian queen, however, Cleopatra’s own ancestry wasn’t Egyptian. Historically speaking, Cleopatra was a Greek woman of Macedonian ancestry, coming from a long line of Ptolemy rulers, with her reign preceding the Arab invasion of the region. There are rumors that her mother was of African ancestry, but this remains unknown. Because of this, a Black Cleopatra received backlash for erasure of the Greek Queen’s own race (in Queen Cleopatra).

While it’s no secret that Hollywood has been guilty of whitewashing various characters for years, the Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news that declares the film has been whitewashed perpetuates a harmful misunderstanding about Gadot’s own background, as she’s an Israeli actress of Ashkenazi Jew ancestry. Gadot has spoken out about the Cleopatra whitewashing controversy to BBC Arabic (via The Independent), saying, “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.”

Other Gal Gadot Cleopatra movie news sees the actress vowing to take a different approach to Cleopatra’s story than her previous iterations on the screen. Gadot told InStyle that while the historical figure would still be painted as “𝓈ℯ𝓍y and appealing,” greater focus would be placed on her impact and her strategic cunning. “We’re going to show not just how 𝓈ℯ𝓍y and appealing she was, but how strategic and smart, and how much impact she had and still has on the world we’re living in today. I’ve watched all the Cleopatra movies throughout history, but I feel like we’re telling the story the world needs to hear now,” Gadot stated.