'Cleopatra' casting of Israeli actress draws backlash in Egypt
Many Egyptians are dismayed over Israeli actress Gal Gadot's casting in a new biographical drama depicting Cleopatra's life.
Gal Gadot, the Israeli star of "Wonder Woman" fame, ignited a storm of controversy in Egypt on Oct. 11 when she announced she is once again teaming up with "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins in a new historical film that tells the story of Cleopatra, the legendary queen of Egypt.
The two women are set to produce the biographical drama — Gadot's brainchild — for Paramount. Jenkins directed Gadot's 2017 "Wonder Woman" film based on the American comic superhero of the same name as well as its sequel, “Wonder Woman 1984," expected to be screened in the coming months. Laeta Kalogritis, who wrote the screenplay for Leonardo Di Caprio's "Shutter Island," scripted the new film.
“Cleopatra is a story I’ve wanted to tell for a very long time,” Gadot wrote on Instagram, “Can't be more excited and grateful.” She also said that her Cleopatra story would be told “from a woman's point of view.”
“And we are especially thrilled to be announcing this on the International Day of the Girl. We hope women and girls all around the world who aspire to tell stories, will never give up on their dreams and will make their voices heard by and for other women,” Gadot tweeted.
