Black Sails team working on Cleopatra series

The team behind Black Sails are now developing a television series based on the story of Cleopatra.

According to a report by Deadline, Black Sails co-creators/executive producers Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine and executive producer Dan Shots are currently working on a drama series for Amazon Studios about the famous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

This project comes after the success of Black Sails, their prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel, Treasure Island. Now they are going to tackle another fascinating era of history as well as an iconic character. Black Sails recently concluded on Starz with its brilliant fourth and final season.

Cleopatra will be written by Levine and is described as “revisionist take on one of history’s most misunderstood women, The Godfather in Ancient Egypt.” The synopsis of the series so far is as follows:

“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.”

There have been several attempts to adapt the life of this important historical figure in the past years, including a series from David Ellender’s Slingshot Global Media, a drama series by NBC, and a miniseries by Lifetime. One of the most famous adaptations of her story was the 1963 historical epic film starring Elizabeth Taylor in the title role, with Richard Burton as Mark Antony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar.

After the wonderful quality of Black Sails with its impressive production values, compelling performances, and well-written plot and characters, fans will have high expectations for this team’s interpretation of Cleopatra’s story and all its complexities. With such rich source material at the writers’ disposal, there is so much potential for this project to be an epic adventure.

Watch this space for more updates on Cleopatra.