Scorsese Jokes Rogen's The Interview Doomed His Cleopatra Film
The director said his Angelina Jolie-led Cleopatra had a finished Eric Roth script and was ready to go, but never entered production.
Martin Scorsese said his planned Cleopatra film, which was to star Angelina Jolie, was ready to go before it fell apart, and he jokingly blamed Seth Rogen for its collapse. The director made the remarks in a conversation with his daughter Francesca Scorsese for Tribeca's Crafty interview series, according to comingsoon.net.
Scorsese said the project had a finished script by Eric Roth and Jolie attached to star. The film never entered production.
In the interview, Scorsese linked the project's failure to the fallout from The Interview, the 2014 comedy starring Rogen and James Franco. He jokingly pointed to Rogen when discussing why Cleopatra did not move forward, rather than presenting it as a confirmed cause.
Background: The Interview fallout
In 2014, The Interview — a comedy about journalists recruited to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — angered North Korea and led to threats against Sony Pictures. In November 2014, a major cyberattack hit the studio, exposing private emails and company documents; the FBI later attributed it to the North Korean government.
After hackers threatened theaters planning to screen the film, Sony canceled its planned wide theatrical release and eventually made The Interview available through other platforms.
Quick answers
Will Martin Scorsese's Cleopatra film with Angelina Jolie be released?
No release has been announced. Scorsese said the film never entered production.
Who wrote the script for Scorsese's Cleopatra?
Eric Roth wrote the finished script, according to Scorsese.
Why did Scorsese blame Seth Rogen for Cleopatra falling apart?
He made the remark jokingly, linking the project's collapse to the fallout from Rogen's 2014 film The Interview.