Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie are reportedly competing for the lead role in an upcoming ‘Cleopatra’ biopic

Jan 15, 2019

By Ari Rees

Move over, Elizabeth Taylor. A “Cleopatra” reboot is reportedly in the works with Lady Gaga and Angelina Jolie competing for the lead role.

What’s happening: According to a report by The Daily Star, an insider at Sony is considering both Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga to play Cleopatra in a big-budget biopic the company is currently developing.

The choice between Gaga and Jolie could be so close that “both of them will have to audition, a pretty rare ask of an A-list star,” a source at Sony said.
The film is being billed as a “bloody political thriller told from a feminist perspective,” according to The Mirror.

Social media reaction: “Cleopatra” rumors were met with heated debate about whether either actress is an appropriate fit for the role.

Some argued that the role should be given to a black actress as Cleopatra was the Queen of Egypt.

I'm not sorry to tell y'all but @rihanna definitely has that role owned! Gaga and AJ shouldn't even been in the running. Honestly if a black woman ain't playing Cleopatra, then NOBODY should play the AFRICAN EGYPTIAN QUEEN CLEOPATRA! PERIOD! pic.twitter.com/6z59o4EV9I

— Nick H-M (@MrNickMcgowan) January 14, 2019

https://twitter.com/evrthingislove/status/1084839336951144452

Others were quick to note that Cleopatra was not of Egyptian descent.

For anyone saying Cleopatra wasn’t white she was black..

This is a famous sculpture of her. This does not look like a black person to me. From her hair to her facial features. She looks Mediterranean.

Nonetheless, she was Greek. She was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty. pic.twitter.com/nfn4S6Z2Fe

— 🏳️‍🌈 Andreas 🏳️‍🌈 (@DreDreas) January 14, 2019

People are confusing Cleopatra and Nefertiti. Cleopatra was of Greek descent. Please learn your history, she wasn’t black. https://t.co/XLmyA3seRH

— Beck (@Kat_Rebecca) January 14, 2019

The facts? Despite popular misconception, Cleopatra was not in fact Egyptian but of Greek/Macedonian descent, and the last queen of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt from 323 BCE to 30 BCE.

What do you think? Who would you pick to play Cleopatra: Gaga, Jolie, or someone else?