Robert Pattinson To Play Lawrence of Arabia
The actor has just been signed on to the Werner Herzog biopic on Gertrude Bell with the titular explorer to be portrayed by Naomi Watts.
Having upped his credentials a notch by working with David Cronenberg on the just-released Cosmopolis, Robert Pattinson is now set to work with German director Werner Herzog on Queen of the Desert, with the actor signed on to play TE Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia.
The biopic focuses on the life and achievements of formidable Middle East adventurer Gertrude Bell played by Aussie Naomi Watts. Often described as the female Lawrence of Arabia, Bell was an explorer, writer, archaeologist and employee of the British Intelligence during the first world war, and her work in the Middle East established what would become the modern framework for Jordan and Iraq.
Playing the archaeologist-turned-British army officer who became close friends with Bell, Pattinson is stepping into some big shoes with Peter O’Toole, of course, earning an Oscar nomination for portraying the explorer in the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia.
The film – which was penned by Herzog and is set to shoot later this year – affirms Pattinson’s obvious desire to distinguish himself from the Twilight films with the actor opting to fill up his dance card with indie roles. He’s due to appear in Australian director David Michod’s futuristic western, The Rover, and the actor is also signed on to Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s independent thriller, Mission: Blacklist, about Saddam Hussein’s capture.
Photo credit: Pattinson, courtesy of Getty Images/Francois Durand.
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