A Film Conclusion For HBO's Rome?



Bruno Heller, the co-creator of HBO's magnificent "Rome" -- and, more recently, the creator of the CBS hit procedural "The Mentalist" -- is considering taking the sanguinary and sexually charged chronicle of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to the big screen for its conclusion. It's about time!

The cancelling of that show was one of the more bone-headed programming decisions of the decade. Yes, it was quite expensive (Estimated total budget for first 12 episodes: $100 million). But the imperial parallels with America were astonishing (and hugely relevant); it was also a certifiable hit among an educated and affluent demographic (the HBO crowd). Finally, The Soprano's -- HBO's franchise -- was about to conclude. Instead of building on "Rome," an established hit, HBO quixotically went the route of "John From Cincinnati." WTF! For a while HBO probably ceded the title of "the edgiest" to Showtime.

The pendulum swings. Now with the rise of "True Blood" -- and Anna Paquin's incredible breasts (Sookie "Stack"-house, indeed) -- the tide may be turning back. From TheHollywoodReporter:

"Bruno Heller says he wants to produce a theatrical wrap-up to his critically beloved and prematurely canceled HBO drama 'Rome.'

"'There is talk of doing a movie version,' he said. 'It's moving along. It's not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off.'

"The lavish period drama ran for two seasons on HBO, which co-produced the series with the BBC. With the final season of 'The Sopranos' as its lead-in, the first season was solidly rated, but high production costs presented the network with a tough call on the pickup. HBO opted for a second season to help get more value from its initial investment but not a third, effectively canceling the show in summer 2006 before the second season debuted the following January. The 'Rome' sets were destroyed, and the actors were released from their contracts, making the decision all but irreversible.

"Season 2 of 'Rome' was a surprise. Although slightly lower rated than the first, the show did remarkably well without a 'Sopranos' lead-in. The first season received four Emmy Awards, and another seven Emmys were heaped upon the final season.

"Suddenly 'Rome' was a Greek tragedy: a hit show with no future. The broadcast nets quickly snatched up the show's leads for top fall pilots.

"HBO executives have since admitted that axing the show probably was a mistake."

More Atia of the Julii! The full story here.