The new HBO series rebuilds Rome's grandor, moving beyond the ancient historical realm, by taking viewers into a unrestrained world full of espionage, treachery, sex, strategy and duplicity.

The action of the upcoming series is set in 52 B.C. during the time of Gaius Julius Caesar, when Rome semms to have had enough with excess and corruption, and it fears the possibilities and dynamism of Caesar, a war hero worshiped by the common people, whose only friend seems to be Pompey, the man whom he shares the throne with. But along with the death of Caesar's daughter Julia, who was also Pompey's wife, the violent conflicts appear.

The $100 million buget "Rome" may as well be considered a brilliantly acted TV series about friendhip, trust, love and ambition.

The first six hours of Rome include swordplay, a public whipping, a crucifixion, a knife through the throat, brain surgery without anesthesia, the branding of slaves, gladiator fights and flogging.


"Rome" was shot throughout Italy, with Michael Apted ("Coal Miner's Daughter," "The World Is Not Enough") directing the first three episodes. Additional directors include Allen Coulter (HBO's "The Sopranos"), Julian Farino (HBO's "Entourage"), Jeremy Podeswa (HBO's "Carnivale"), Alan Poul (HBO's "Six Feet Under"), Mikael Salomon (HBO's "Band of Brothers"), Steve Shill (HBO's "The Wire"), Alan Taylor (HBO's "Deadwood") and Timothy Van Patten (HBO's "Sex and the City").

Among the actors starring in the first season are Kevin McKidd ("Kingdom of Heaven") as Lucius Vorenus, Ray Stevenson ("King Arthur") as Titus Pullo, Ciaran Hinds ("Road to Perdition") as Gaius Julius Caesar, Kenneth Cranham ("Gangster No. 1") as Pompey Magnus, Polly Walker ("Patriot Games") as Atia of the Julii, James Purefoy ("Vanity Fair") as Mark Antony, Tobias Menzies ("Foyle's War") as Marcus Junius Brutus, Lindsay Duncan ("Under the Tuscan Sun") as Servilia of the Junii, Indira Varma ("Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love") as Niobe, Max Pirkis ("Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") as Gaius Octavian and Kerry Condon ("Angela's Ashes") as Octavia of the Julii.


Rome was Created by John Milius and William Macdonald and Bruno Heller. Written by Bruno Heller, John Milius, David Frankel, William J. Macdonald, Alexandra Cunningham and Adrian Hodges.

A co-production between HBO and the BBC, "Rome" is one of the largest co-production deals ever by the BBC for an American series, and marks the first series co-production of the two networks. HBO and the BBC previously partnered on the 2001 miniseries "Band of Brothers," which won six Emmy® Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries.

You rarely see onscreen the complexity and color that was ancient Rome, says co-creator, executive producer and writer Bruno Heller.

It has more in common with places like Mexico City and Calcutta than quiet white marble. Rome was brightly colored, a place of vibrant cruelty, full of energy, dynamism and chaotic filth. It was a merciless existence, dog-eat-dog, with a very small elite, and masses of poverty. We see the same problems today - crime, unemployment, disease, and pressure to preserve your place in a precarious society. There's the potential for social mobility, if you're smart.

Human nature never changes, and the great thing about the Romans, from a dramatic perspective, is that they're a people with the fetters taken completely off. They had no prosaic God telling them right from wrong and how to behave. It was a strictly personal morality, and whether or not an action is wrong would depend on whether people more powerful than you would approve. You were allowed to murder your neighbor or covet his wife if it didn't piss off the wrong person. Mercy was a weakness, cruelty a virtue, and all that mattered was personal honor, loyalty to yourself and your family.
(www.hbo.com/rome)