James Cameron and Angelina Jolie may join forces to bankrupt Sony on Cleopatra movie

The adaptation of Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra: A Life that Angelina Jolie was attached to star in—which is industry code for “probably never going to star in,” because attaching a movie to Angelina Jolie these days is like trying to lasso a moonbeam—is supposedly back on, this time as a possible big-ass 3D film with director James Cameron at the helm. Of course, the last time someone made a big-ass Cleopatra film, it nearly killed a studio; the parallels here (incredibly expensive set-pieces, hugely famous—and famously fickle—female lead), plus the addition of a director known for consistently going way over budget, and the fact that Sony co-chair Amy Pascal is calling this one her “Gone With The Wind epic” means that, basically, it hasn’t even been greenlit yet and it’s already $100 million in debt. You know, Sony could save itself a lot of headaches and just take a few pictures of Angelina Jolie in a toga. Like this one. There you go. Not only would that be more fiscally responsible, it would mean that maybe Steven Soderbergh’s long-dormant, way more fun-sounding Cleopatra 3D rock musical could proceed.