Angelina Jolie Attached To Ridley Scott’s Gertrude Bell

Angelina Jolie is looking to take on the title role in Gertrude Bell.

The Hollywood Reporter reveal the star has attached herself to the project, being set up Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions. The director is also considering getting behind the camera for Jeffrey Caine's screenplay.

Born in 1868, Bell was described as the 'female Lawrence of Arabia' for her impact in the Middle East. A traveller with a passion for archaeology, she worked for the British Intelligence during World War I, influencing the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire and founding of Iraq. Along with T.E. Lawrence, she was key in establishing the Hashemite dynasties in what is today Jordan.

Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey hits US cinemas next month. Her last acting role was opposite Johnny Depp in The Tourist, and she's also attached to play Kay Scarpetta in an adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's novels.

Scott is finishing up on his Alien quasi-prequel Prometheus, expected June 2012. He is currently looking at a couple of other projects: Gucci, about the fashion dynasty, and Russian serial killer mystery Child 44.