The famous Hollywood star of Israeli origin, Gal Gadot, will team-up again with her Wonder Women director Patty Jenkins to play the upcoming biopic Cleopatra for Paramount Pictures.
The actor has previously worked with Jenkins on both Wonder Women films, she will portray the life and journey of Cleopatra the last ruler of Egypt’s Ptolemaic Kingdom.
Gadot, who is looking forward to the release of her much-anticipated superhero movie Wonder Woman 1984 directed by Jenkins, said Cleopatra was a story she wanted to tell for a very long time.
“I love embarking on new journeys,I love the excitement of new projects, the thrill of bringing new stories to life.Cleopatra is a story I wanted to tell for a very long time. Can’t be more grateful about this A team!! @PattyJenks @ParamountPics #AtlasEntertainment #LaetaKalogridis,”the actor wrote on Twitter.
However, this announcement of Gadot playing Cleopatra has met with mixed reaction and backlash across social media. Disputes over Cleopatra’s heritage and ancestry have surfaced and parallels are being drawn with Gadot’s heritage and ethnicity.
Being Israeli with Greek origins, there are those who argue that Gadot is unfit to be playing the role of the Egyptian queen. The casting choice has been met with both questions of racism and ethnic diversity and appropriation in Hollywood as many believe an Arab or dark-skinned actor would have been a better fit for the role.
Adding to this mess, the casting choice also caused a political debate and dispute as a group of people are angered that an Israeli actress is going to play and Eyptian queen.
Images of the famed queen have been depicted throughout history countless times, however her story is most famously known through dramatic works such as William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and the 1963 film Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor.
