Angelina Jolie to portray Cleopatra

In a royal line of actresses who portrayed Cleopatra, including Elizabeth Taylor and Claudette Colbert, Angelina Jolie may play the famed Queen of Egypt in a film produced by Scott Rudin ( Doubt).

Rudin confirmed in US national newspaper USA Today that he's developing a project "for and with Jolie" based on the book Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff.

The biography follows Cleopatra's life, revealing her sexual intrigues in legendary affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and her political prowess while ruling a Mediterranean empire that ended in her untimely demise at 40.

Another version of the Cleopatra story has been in the works with Steven Soderbergh trying to mount an epic musical with Hugh Jackman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ray Winstone, including a score by musical group Guided By Voices.

Despite the speculation about who will play Caesar and Marc Antony, the roles have not been cast.

RC