The Falcon and the Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland will now be helming Paramount’s Cleopatra remake starring Gal Gadot. Patty Jenkins, who was announced as the director last year, has moved into a producing role. The reason for Jenkins’ departure is said to be her commitments to Wonder Woman 3 and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

Cleopatra was pitched by Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot last year to all major film studios. She brought in writer Laeta Kalogridis (Alita: Battle Angel, Shutter Island) to pen the screenplay and reteamed with director Patty Jenkins. Eventually, Paramount bagged the project, outbidding other interested parties – Universal, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Apple. Paramount, being impressed by Gadot’s idea, immediately greenlit Cleopatra, but due to unforeseen circumstances and Jenkins’ busy schedule, Cleopatra kept getting delayed. Finally, Jenkins resigned as the director, and Kari Skogland will now be bringing the famous Egyptian queen to the big screen.

Kari Skogland is a veteran filmmaker who is best known for her work in television. Skogland has directed episodes of several acclaimed TV shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Sons of Anarchy, Vikings, and Boardwalk Empire. In 2021, she helmed all six episodes of Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Cleopatra will mark her return to feature films in more than a decade. Skogland last directed the 2008 crime thriller Fifty Dead Men Walking, starring Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley.

Plot details of Cleopatra are unknown, but judging by its theatrical release and the interest shown by other studios, Cleopatra seems to be outdoing its 1963 predecessor in terms of grandiosity. 1963’s Cleopatra was an exercise in lavishness - a four-hour-long epic with a budget that nearly bankrupted the studio. Cleopatra was made on a budget of $31 million, which sounds measly by today's standards. But when adjusted for inflation, Cleopatra’s budget comes down to $350 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever.

Cleopatra was the queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and its last active ruler. She was also romantically involved with Julius Caesar, who helped her become the queen. Initially, a powerful and ambitious ruler, Cleopatra’s life took a turn for the worse when Caesar was assassinated in Rome. She later forged an alliance with one of Caesar’s co-conspirators, Mark Antony, to strengthen her kingdom, but that alliance subsequently caused her downfall.

Cleopatra’s life is as epic as life can get, and Gal Gadot and Kari Skogland plan on retelling a faithful story for modern audiences. Cleopatra is produced by Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven, Patty Jenkins, and Gal Gadot and her partner Jaron Varsano under their banner, Pilot Wave Motion Pictures. Laeta Kalogridis serves as an executive producer. Cleopatra is said to be a high-priority project for Paramount. However, no release date or filming schedule has been announced by the studio. If all goes well, we should see Gal Gadot bring the iconic Cleopatra to life exclusively in theaters in 2023. Stay tuned for more updates.

This news originated at Deadline.