sp; The New York TimesThe New York Times just posted a recent feature article on the origins and background of the new twelve episode mega-series HBO & BBC co-production. Inside, it revealed some new facts about the show that have come to light:
- The production budget for the first season stands at US $75 million. Assuming its successful enough, expect the same cost for a second & potential third season.
- A broad idea for the series was hatched by the creator after watching the DVD box set of the acclaimed 1976 UK 13-episode miniseries "I, Claudius" which starred the likes of Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Patrick Stewart, John Rhys-Davies, Brian Blessed and James Faulkner. Like that ground-breaking show which spanned decades and several rulers (ie. Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, etc.), this is expected to cover a great passage of time as well.
The concept was to peek at imperial Rome from the perspective of the common man's living room rather than from the Caesar's lair. What emerged was a plot that whirled around two soldiers who return to the city after years away dismembering Gauls
In early March, the producer rented a bus and with a large group of the actors an d traveled two hours south to the remains of Pompeii, near Naples - "It just gives you a sense of the life: the width of a street, the size of a room. It builds a subconscious picture that's part and parcel of everything
- The show's production staff is taking great pains to be true to the past. They collected a small library's worth of obscure tomes, including several on the physical gestures of ancient Romans. Thanks to 'Dust Bunny'.
