There’s serious potential here.
Despite the fact that he’s one of the world’s most famous film directors, Martin Scorsese has frequently used his talents on a range of TV shows. Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, and The Blues are just some of the shows that have his fingerprints on them, but his latest TV adaptation will see him venture into new territory.
For his next television project, Scorsese is teaming up with the writer of Vikings to create a show that’s set in Ancient Rome.
Scorsese is developing The Caesars TV series with Vikings writer Michael Hirst, according to The Guardian.
The series will focus on the “youth and vitality” of the early Roman leaders, especially the famed Julius Caesar.
Speaking with The Guardian, Hirst said: “In the movies [Julius Caesar is] 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 Caesars is a passion project for Scorsese, who has a long-held fascination with Ancient Rome and has been “desperate” to make a TV series or film about the period.
Hirst is responsible for creating The Tudors, Camelot, and both Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. In terms of modern work, he’s found critical-acclaim with History Channel’s Vikings. If their new show manages to balance the bloody and gruesome scenes in Vikings with Scorsese’s visual flair and talent for portraying villains, this could be very special.
As for Scorsese’s upcoming slate, he’s a very busy man because The Irishman is in post-production and he’s already starting work on Killers of the Flower Moon. Aside from this, he’s also an executive producer on Todd Phillips’ Untitled Joker Origin Movie, Uncut Gems, and The Souvenir.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
