Not literally of course- although you wouldnt necessarily disbelieve it- but figuratively, as
Vulture have reported in nudge, nudge, wink, wink fashion that the affable German eccentric
Werner Herzog is in 'serious' talks with Australian actress
Naomi Watts to play the lead in his new film
Queen of the Desert. The film, for which Herzog is currently working on the screenplay, is a biopic of too little known historical figure,
Gertrude Bell. Bell was an explorer, archaeologist and British Cultural attaché, among other things in the Middle East. She is regarded as the person who- by virtue of her knowledge and standing among the various tribes of the region- as having shaped the country now known as Iraq early in the twentieth century. A grand and characteristically engaging project, notionally, it may be some time before the film sees the light of day. Herzog is currently still promoting his latest documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a film about Frances Chauvet Cave that houses some of the oldest cave paintings in the world, while Watts finishes The Impossible before commencing work on
Clint Eastwoods J. Edgar, so shooting is likely to begin at the end of 2011 at the earliest. Like most of Herzogs work, however, it is likely to be worth the wait.