This is definitely one we'll be checking out.

Michael Hirst, the creator of both Jonathon Rhys Meyers starrer The Tudors and Vikings, is teaming with director Martin Scorsese for a new TV series.

The Caesars will tell the story of the early rulers of ancient Rome, beginning with the rise to power of Julius Caesar. The pilot has been written, as has the outline for the rest of the season, and the hope is that it will be a long-running television drama with several seasons.

The Caesars aims to give a new insight into the young Julius Caesar.

Hirst explains: “In the movies he’s usually a middle-aged guy, struggling with political complexities. But he was fantastically interesting and ambitious when he was younger. A lot of the Caesars came to power when they were young, and we’ve never really seen that on screen. It’s the energy, the vitality, the excess of a young culture that’s being driven by young people.

“There is something astonishing about the rise of a relatively small kingdom to world power within a very short space of time. It couldn’t have been done by tired old politicos and faded warriors.”

The project has reportedly been a long-time passion project for Scorsese, whose television work includes the critically acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire.

 

Via The Guardian