David Fincher drops Cleopatra

Angelina Jolie is set for disappointment after director David Fincher reportedly declined to take charge of her new Cleopatra movie.

The Hollywood actress is set to follow in Dame Elizabeth Taylor's footsteps by playing the Egyptian pharaoh in a new blockbuster and she singled out Fincher as her first choice to helm the picture.

However, Fincher has now turned down the project and movie bosses at Sony Pictures are looking for an alternative director, according to entertainment website Vulture.com.

The publication suggests Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee is a potential candidate for the job.

Fincher previously insisted he wanted to move the new Cleopatra film away from being "a giant sword-and-sandal epic" and make it more "relatable to today."