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Kapur aims for Cleopatra with Slingshot

Slingshot Global Media, the company set up by former FremantleMedia exec David Ellender, is developing a drama series with Shekhar Kapur about the life of Cleopatra.

Shekhar Kapur

Shekhar Kapur

Kapur (Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) will write and direct the as-yet-untitled project, which Slingshot plans to distribute.

The show will aim to cast Cleopatra in a new light, focusing on the 18-year-old-girl who became a Pharaoh and Queen, rather than the seductress made famous by affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. A lead is currently being sought.

“Cleopatra is probably the most famous and the least known/understood figure in all of time,” said Kapur, who is also known for his work in Indian cinema, directing titles including Masoom, Bandit Queen and Mr India. “Her life will reflect a modern-day parable of our lives today.”

David Ellender

David Ellender

Slingshot CEO Ellender added: “As he did with Queen Elizabeth, Kapur will reveal the human being behind the myth. We couldn’t think of a better filmmaker than Kapur to tackle this subject.”

Cleopatra is among a number of projects Slingshot has set in motion since launching in the US last year. Others on the slate include Keanu Reeves’ first foray into TV and a drama set in the Persian Gulf during the 1970s, while the firm also has a development deal in place with Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp.

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