Bille August is going to shoot the TV series Julius Caesar
Oscar-winning director Bille August, who recently scored a world hit with the TV series ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, is ready for a new high-end period show that this time goes back to ancient Rome and delves into the current figure of Julius Caesar.
Underlining the “contemporary” relevance of the project, August, in an exclusive statement forr Variationpointed out that “the Republic of Rome was the first democracy undermined by a government that elected a dictator and granted him absolute power.”
The series, titled “Julius Caesar,” explores “the story of a great leader intoxicated by power,” the Danish director added, “revealing the deep psychological complexities that ultimately lead from the most epic feats to his downfall.”
August, who won an Oscar for ‘Pelle the Conqueror’, and is also a double Palme d’Or winner for ‘Pelle’ and ‘Smilla’s Sense Of Snow’, has reunited with screenwriter Greg Latter – with whom he collaborated on ‘Goodbye Bafana’, ‘Night Train to Lisbon’ and the upcoming film ‘Me, You’ – for the ‘Julius Caesar’ project. The film is produced by Italy’s Palomar, owned by Mediawan, the company that also produced ‘Monte Cristo’.
Filming, which will take place in Italy, is scheduled to begin in early 2027. There are no casting details yet.
“In today’s world, shocked by the specter of war, it seems to us that taking on the challenge of portraying an extraordinary character like Julius Caesar – unique orator, infallible strategist, far-sighted politician and great commander – is more relevant than ever,” said Palomar founder and CEO Carlo Degli Esposti, who is also a member of the Mediawan board.
“It has never been more crucial than today to highlight the story of such a contradictory man,” Degli Esposti continued. He called Julius Caesar ambitious and generous “but also cruel; a mixture of grandeur and corruption exercised by power. By the desire to conquer and maintain power, even at the cost of his life.”
Previous TV series that delved into the story of Julius Caesar include the Emmy-winning 2005-2007 HBO/BBC series “Rome,” which chronicled the fall of the Roman Republic and Caesar’s rise to power; TNT’s pulpy 2002 miniseries “Caesar,” starring Jeremy Sisto in the title role; and 2023 BBC docudrama “Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator.”
August’s lavishly filmed adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, starring Sam Claflin (‘Peaky Blinders’) and Ana Girardot (‘The Returned’), scored record ratings on Italian state broadcaster RAI and was sold around the world by Mediawan.
