One of history's most powerful women is likely coming to television next year, with Deadline reporting that NBC has ordered a put pilot for "Cleopatra" from writer-producer Michael Seitzman.
A put pilot order all but guarantees the project will make it to air, as the network would have to pay hefty penalty fees if it was left on the shelf. According to Deadline, the series is being described as "an epic romance set in a world of sorcery, gods and monsters that centers on Cleopatra, Mark Antony and Julius Caesar. The young queen makes a sacred pact with a goddess to win back her throne, igniting a curse and an infamous love triangle that changes the course of history, forever ending the 4,000 year dominion of the Pharaoh."
The project is being produced by Lorenzo Di Bonaventura Pictures and ABC Studios, where Seitzman and Di Bonaventura both have development deals. Seitzman is best known for penning "North Country," the 2005 film starring Charlize Theron and Jeremy Renner.
The infamous Egyptian Pharaoh was the subject of a costly 1963 film starring Elizabeth Taylor, in what was perhaps her most iconic role. Sony is currently trying to mount another adaptation of the tale, with Angelina Jolie set to star as the titular heroine and David Fincher attached to direct. Cleopatra's story has been strangely absent from the small screen until now, although she has made peripheral appearances in shows such as "Rome," "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Doctor Who."
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