Gal Gadot is set to star as Cleopatra in a new film adaptation on the Queen of the Nile directed by Patty Jenkins, who collaborated with the Israeli actress on the blockbuster “Wonder Woman” and its upcoming sequel “Wonder Woman 1984.”

“As you might have heard I teamed up with @PattyJenks and @LKalogridis to bring the story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, to the big screen in a way she’s never been seen before. To tell her story for the first time through women’s eyes, both behind and in front of the camera,” Gadot tweeted.

Cleopatra VII Philopator (69-30 BCE) was the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Her rule and love affairs with the Roman Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony were depicted in the 1963 film bearing her name and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, making her a popular culture icon.

Gadot’s casting created somewhat of a storm on social media, where many slammed the choice of a white, Israeli actress to portray the role instead of an Arab or Egyptian one, while others noted that Cleopatra was in fact of Greek Macedonian descent.

Gadot was recently reported to be one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood this year, coming in in third place in Forbes’ annual review with an income of $31.5 million. She made the bulk of her income from the Netflix film “Red Notice” in a year traditional cinema was gravely affected by the coronavirus crisis. “Wonder Woman 1984,” which was meant to premiere in December 2019, is now to be released on December 25.