Martin Scorsese attributes cancelled Cleopatra film to 2014 Sony hack

Director Martin Scorsese has revealed that his planned film adaptation of Cleopatra starring Angelina Jolie was cancelled due to the 2014 Sony Pictures cyberattack. Variety and Deadline reported that the project was derailed following the fallout from the hack, which targeted the studio over a separate release. [1][2]

The cyberattack occurred in November 2014 when hackers breached Sony systems to stop the release of The Interview, a comedy film starring Seth Rogen, Variety reported. The comedy depicted a fictional assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Deadline reported that Scorsese described the digital attack as having ruined the project. [1][2]

Scorsese has directed twenty-six feature length narrative films over a career spanning more than fifty years. His major works include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas. [10]

Variety reported that Scorsese described the cancelled Cleopatra project as intended to be really wild before the studio fallout permanently halted development. [1]