Rome Coming to the Cinema?

Bruno Heller, the writer and co-creator of the BBC/HBO series Rome has discussed his hopes for a film version with the Hollywood Reporter.

"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."

[snip]

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."

Like Peter Chattaway I've never seen the original series, but I'd certainly be interested to see this. That said I'm not sure what the Jesus story would look like from the Roman angle. This Easter's BBC/HBO series The Passion was the latest in a line of film's that have sought to understand Pilate's motives, but I'm not sure that at the time the crucifixion would have registered either with anyone further up the Roman hierarchy, or with the ordinary citizens of the city itself.