Ridley Scott is closing in helming the biopic of Iraq pioneer Gertrude Bell. The directors production company Scott Free is developing the project. Angelina Jolie is officially attached to the lead role of Bell, an English archaeologist & antiquarian who became a phenomenal force in Mesopotamian archaeology at a time when it was largely a man's game. With a degree in history from Oxford, Bell excavated at sites such as Birbinkilise in Turkey at Byzantine monuments in Syria & at the Abbasid Palace of Ukhaidir. Described as the female Lawrence of Arabia for the vast impact the woman had in the Middle East & her work in establishing what would become the modern framework for Jordan and Iraq. With a passion for archeology and languages, she wrote about her adventures in the Ottoman Empire and desert kingdoms. During World War I, Bell worked for British Intelligence and was a key asset to the English dismantling of the Ottoman Empire & founding of Iraq, even winning the admiration many Arabs as she navigated tribes, diplomats and soldiers." Jeffrey Caine is scripting the biopic but the movie is yet to find a major studio. Scott is also considering directing Gucci, a drama about the iconic fashion family & Child 44 a serial killer mystery set in Stalinist Russia.
