Fontana, Albrecht To Make The Borgias For HBO



HBO's last foray into episodic historical drama, Rome, was critically successful, but far too expensive to continue (The show's hefty $100 million production cost in season 1 is more akin to a Hollywood blockbuster). Alas, it was a magnificent television experiment, a prequel, if you will, to I, Claudius, the greatest television program ever produced. If the cabler can keep its budgets low and sell the show overseas -- as well as, of course, producing a dramatically excellent show -- then The Borgias might just bring HBO back into the highbrow highlife again. They certainly won't lack for material from that ferocious, brilliant Italian Renaissance family, the House of Borgia.

As much as The Corsair has big love for the tangled intra-family intrigues of Big Love (I do; I do; I do), HBO has fallen -- some might even argue behind the edgier Showtime -- from the days of unquestioned Sunday night dominance with The Sopranos and the still hugely relevant Sex and the City. It's been a while, folks. From Variety:

"Tom Fontana has been tapped to pen a series about the notorious Borgia clan that Chris Albrecht will exec produce for Gallic production shingle Lagardere Entertainment and Canal Plus.

"The series' 12-episode first season will be shot in English to facilitate worldwide sales of the series, most importantly in the U.S. Albrecht, the former HBO chieftain, will shop the series to U.S. outlets. He's partnered with former HBO longform exec Anne Thomopoulos, who will also serve as an exec producer on 'The Borgias.'

"Series is skedded to begin production in the fall in Europe. Casting will be handled out of London with an eye toward assembling a strong international ensemble. Lagardere's Atlantique Prods. banner will co-produce with Germany's EOS and the U.K.'s Helion Pictures."

Corrupt Popes and poisoned chalices rendered a la Fontana? We're so there. One suggestion: bring the Early Music. The rights to early music are dirt cheap, they would lend a medieval authenticity to the period piece and -- oh yeah -- it is goddam magnificent stuff.