It's already been done.
I somehow doubt that a movie about the Pax Romana under Augustus Caesar would be very interesting since nothing really happened during that time, up until Claudius was born.
Posted on 12/06/2008 5:30:14 AM PST by jalisco555
The creator of CBS' red-hot procedural "The Mentalist" has unfinished business in Italy.
Bruno Heller says he wants to produce a theatrical wrap-up to his critically beloved and prematurely canceled HBO drama "Rome."
"There is talk of doing a movie version," he said. "It's moving along. It's not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off."
The lavish period drama ran for two seasons on HBO, which co-produced the series with the BBC. With the final season of "The Sopranos" as its lead-in, the first season was solidly rated, but high production costs presented the network with a tough call on the pickup. HBO opted for a second season to help get more value from its initial investment but not a third, effectively canceling the show in summer 2006 before the second season debuted the following January. The "Rome" sets were destroyed, and the actors were released from their contracts, making the decision all but irreversible.
Season 2 of "Rome" was a surprise. Although slightly lower rated than the first, the show did remarkably well without a "Sopranos" lead-in. The first season received four Emmy Awards, and another seven Emmys were heaped upon the final season.
Suddenly "Rome" was a Greek tragedy: a hit show with no future. The broadcast nets quickly snatched up the show's leads for top fall pilots.
HBO executives have since admitted that axing the show probably was a mistake.
One seeming drawback to revisiting the show after its wrap was the demise of a key lead character, Lucius (Kevin McKidd). Yet Heller reveals that the character's off-camera fate was far from fatal.
"It was very deliberate that we saw him drifting away but didn't see him atop a funeral pyre," Heller said.
McKidd is in a recurring role on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." Fellow "Rome" star Ray Stevenson is in "The Punisher," and Polly Walker is cast in Sci Fi's "Caprica."
A feature revival of a defunct series always is considered difficult, though HBO succeeded with "Sex and the City," and Fox's "Arrested Development" is making progress toward the big screen. Heller would not discuss plot ideas, but the original series outline for "Rome" next called for the hedonistic Roman leaders to deal with the rise of a certain problematic rabbi -- a story line that would have put a whole new spin on the Greatest Story Ever Told and potentially bring "Rome" a larger audience.
"I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end," Heller said. "The second was going to end with death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There's certainly more than enough history to go around."
“Heller looking for movie version of ‘Rome’”
The headline implies that the movie version exists, but has been misplaced. If it helps, Mr. Heller, I usually find the tv remote between the sofa cushions.
Well, it’s a FR no-no to alter headlines.
I wasn’t blaming you. Headlines are an ongoing source of amusement for many readers.
Couldn't stand Deadwood, though.
I have not seen either series. My husband was talking about renting the first season of “Rome” from Blockbuster; maybe he will.
At least I’ve bumped your thread :-).
It's already been done.
I somehow doubt that a movie about the Pax Romana under Augustus Caesar would be very interesting since nothing really happened during that time, up until Claudius was born.
Sure, the Tiberius years were very interesting. Mean, crazy women, carnage in the imperial family, wars and insurrections, basically the whole first section of Tacitus’s “Annals.” And Arminius’s massacre of Varus’s legions took place in Augustus’s reign. That would make a great film.
Thanks for the bump. Be warned though that Rome has extremely graphic sex and violence. It’s not for everybody.
Yes, that's why we haven't seen it yet. I don't particularly care for that, but if I'm reading or sewing or half-asleep when it's on, I can tune in and out depending on what's happening.
The real problem is that we couldn't turn it until all our children were in bed, and by that point I'm usually not interested in TV.
The whole Jewish rebellion subplot started off interesting but was abruptly truncated. Sounds like Heller had intended to do much more with it in the fifth season. Would be an interesting topic for a feature.
Certainly not for the kids. There’s an arena scene toward the end of the first season that makes the film Gladiator look positively tame. But the show captures the reality of life in Rome better than anything I’ve ever seen. It brilliantly shows all the different strata of Roman society from patrician to slave and captures the squalor of the time. It’s clearly a labor of love and if you’re interested in the period it’s not to be missed.
I didn’t take to the Soprano’s and some of the other shows on TV, but Rome was the first series I looked forward to watching every week. When they let it out that they were going to cancel I wrote letters to no avail. It was my kind of show.
Eventually, I got interested in the Tudors, although it took a couple of episodes to ensnare me.
I’ve had trouble getting into The Tudors. Not sure why since I usually like historical dramas. Might give it another try.
“I’ve had trouble getting into The Tudors. Not sure why since I usually like historical dramas.”
Probably because of the actor that played Henry the 8th.
It took me a couple of episodes to become comfortable with him in the role and then he grew on me.
I loved the show Rome, and was really disappointed they cancelled it. I loved Deadwood also (yes the language was bad, but if you could get past that, it was brilliantly done and funny as heck).
I’m about to cancel HBO — nothing worth watching on there anymore that I’ve seen, and they don’t cycle on very many new good movies.
You and I part ways on this one. I didn’t care for Rome, but have all seasons of Deadwood on DVD. Absolutely my favorite show.
I loved Rome, but I don’t have HBO and I watched it on video from Netflix. If you don’t mind waiting until it comes out on video, that’s a solution for some HBO series. I also watched The Sopranos that way.
That said, it was unfortunate that they cancelled the Rome series so early on. I guess it was expensive to make and didn’t get huge viewership. I thought it was great, though, and every effort had been made to make it accurate. On the videos, you can click on a scene and get more historical details about it, btw. The videos also have great stuff about how the series was made.
on of the reasons= one of the reasons
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