Remember what a pain it was when your male slave had to choose between his love for you and gaining freedom by becoming a Christian? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Rachel Weisz has the exact same problem… in movie form. She will star with Max Minghella in Agora, according to Variety. Although Minghella is better known for being the son of The English Patient director Anthony Minghella than anything acting-wise, Weisz has one of those Oscar things for The Constant Gardner.

The movie takes place in Egypt in the fourth century. Weisz is Hypatia, a philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who is trying to save the collected wisdom of the ancient world from rioting religious mobs. It is apparently based on an event that occurred at the library in Alexandria. Meanwhile, her boy toy wants to not be owned and hitches his star to the Jesus movement of the day. Other acting-type people who will show up on screen are Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom, Michael Lonsdale, Rupert Evans and Homayoun Ershadi.

The film will be the second English language effort of Spanish writer/director Alejandro Amenabar. He co-wrote the script with Mateo Gil and shooting is scheduled to start next week in Malta. Amenabar’s previous movie in our language was The Others. I didn’t see that and I don’t think I’ll be seeing this one either, but you can see it early next year.