Amazon Announces Another Period Series, ‘Black Sails’ Team Tackling Cleopatra

Amazon has been producing some pretty great television, and the internet mainstay is currently eyeing an additional period (no, not *that* kind) series to augment their offerings.

It was announced today that some of the team behind STARZ’s piratical “Treasure Island” prequel series Black Sails will be tackling Egypt for Amazon, in a series about one of the most famous queens in history; Cleopatra.

Deadline, who first reported this story, went on to say that Cleopatra is described as “a revisionist take on one of history’s most misunderstood women, The Godfather in Ancient Egypt. After nearly losing her life in a bloody coup, Cleopatra must use her natural wit and political genius to take back her throne and restore honor to her family and kingdom.”

Black Sails co creators/executive producers Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine and executive producer Dan Shotz will be heading this new project.

The last time the ancient world personality appeared in any large extent on television was on HBO’s magnificent but short lived Rome. Lyndsey Marshall brought a completely different Cleopatra to life, more than slightly batshit crazy and compelling alongside Ciaran Hinds‘ Julius Caesar and James Purefoy‘s Marc Antony. And before that, on television, we had the 1999 Cleopatra mini series with Leonor Varela as the Queen, Billy Zane as Marc Antony and Timothy Dalton as Caesar.

Of course the most famous time the royal has graced the screen was the incomparable 1963 Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor in the violet eyed lead role, with Richard Burton as Marc Antony and Rex Harrison as Caesar.

Needless to say, this project is still in VERY early stages of development, and there’s no telling if Amazon will indeed pick it up to series.

Let’s talk casting though.  Who would you want to see on the throne of all Egypt?