Hollywood will undoubtedly make a movie about the astonishing collapse of the president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and the surrounding turmoil across North Africa and the Middle East. It is the biggest story of the year and its ramifications will stay with us for many years, perhaps decades.

But who could play the leading (and tragic role) of Mubarak? There are not many Arab actors in Hollywood – Arab characters have traditionally been played by East Indian, Italian and Hispanic actors (think of Anthony Quinn in “Lawrence of Arabia”).

Here are some possibilities for the role of a lifetime:

Ben Kingsley
The Anglo-Indian actor might be able to pull it off, but it might be hard for people to believe that a peaceful man like Mahatma Gandhi and a military strongman like Mubarak could share the same body. But isn’t that what the challenge of acting is all about? Reuters
Tony Shalhoub
The actor best known as the detective in “Monk” is the son of Lebanese parents. Reuters
Armand Assante
The Italian-America actor has played stylish, amoral gangsters and assorted elegant bad guys in a wide array of movies. Mubarak wouldn’t be much of a stretch for this versatile actor. Reuters
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