Apparently after The Social Network, Fincher wanted to try something different. Completely different from not only that film, but also anything else he'd ever done before. Swapping out the intensely contemporary themes and settings of the story of Facebook's early days for the sands of Ancient Egypt, yes, there was a recent period in history when David Fincher got very close to making a Cleopatra film. Apparently it wasn't to be a "giant sword and sandal epic" but would focus on the more grounded realities of being the he last active Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, with Angelina Jolie slated to star in the eponymous role. "We've seen scope; everyone knows we can fake that. That stuff doesn't impress in the way that it did even 10 years ago," Fincher said at the time. "So that's not the reason to do that. What is it about this character that has purchased this place in our history and imagination that is relatable today?" That's an interesting take on the material, and the project seemed to be moving forward, with The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button writer Eric Roth working on a screenplay based off of Stacy Schiff's book Cleopatra: A Life, and frequent collaborator Scott Rudin producing. Then Fincher jumped to the much more relatable story of Gone Girl.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
