Ever since HBO's Rome ended in 2007 there has been word of a revival of sorts. A film project has been in various stages of development for years now, but it looks like things are finally coming together. Even though HBO Films is oddly not attached, they have secured creator and executive producer Bruno Heller, who's already submitted a script.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the film will pick up the action four years after the events of the second season, in Germany. And despite the precarious positions they were left in, Morning Light Productions are pursuing Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson to reprise their roles of Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, respectively.
A joint production between the BBC and HBO, the series was ended after two seasons because of its notoriously high price tag. As such, what was at least a five year story arc was rushed and ultimately left with an unsatisfying conclusion for Heller. The prospects of a feature film budget certainly made it enticing to strap back on the robes and try to give long-time fans some closure, as well as giving potential new fans a rollicking good tale.
There's certainly plenty of material from the Roman Empire to cull further adventures, either in feature film format, or possibly even in a new Rome series. While stylized ad nauseum, Starz has found a way to do a fairly authentic period series on a budget with Spartacus, and The Tudors has brought its era to life beautifully. There simply has to be a way to make Rome cheaper.
Of course, I'm still fantasizing about a continuation of the also-expensive Carnivale, and I suspect that's about as likely. However, if Rome: The Movie (that's probably not what they're going to call it) does well financially, maybe it's not too late to bring Carnivale to the big screen as well. I can guarantee at least two tickets sold -- my wife loved it even more than I did.
