In any case, we learned yesterday that White Horse Pictures and Lionsgate will produce a film based on a series of Conn Iggulden novels that tell the story of a young Julius Caesar and his back-stabbing buddy Brutus.
Tentatively titled Emperor, producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton described the project as follows:
“Combining the sweep of 300 with the intrigue of Game of Thrones, this is the part of the story of the mighty Julius Caesar that nobody knows — his emergence alongside Brutus as young powerhouses in Rome, a fresh and contemporary retelling of their rivalries, passions and jealousies, captured in a movie with breath-taking action, spectacular visual effects and epic scope.”
That’s quite the elevator pitch, and given the almost unprecedented success of GOT, the filmmakers may have found the perfect environment to reintroduce a story rife with excess, ambition, violence, and betrayal.
If you need a refresher, Caesar was the iconic Roman leader who played a major role in turning the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. His reign lasted from 49 B.C. to his assassination in 44 B.C. On the Ides of March, Caesar was stabbed in the back by a group of senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus. He was the reason that Roman Emperors subsequently adopted the name Caesar as a title.
The screenplay was penned by Broyles (Cast Away, Apollo 13), Stephen Harrigan (Cleopatra), Burr Steers (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and Ian Mackenzie Jeffers (The Grey) and it’s possible that Iggulden’s novels may be adapted into a multi-picture franchise.
Emperor has yet to set a release date, but stay tuned and make sure your toga and sandal ensemble is ready to go.
