Scott Rudin Nabs 'I, Claudius'
Filed under: Drama, Deals, Disney, Newsstand
After a hunt with the likes of Warner Brothers, Universal and Working Title, Scott Rudin has nabbed the screen rights to I, Claudius, the historical novel by Robert Graves. According to Variety, this deal has been set for a whopping $2 million. See, the BBC had the rights years ago, and had turned the work into a large, 13-part miniseries back in the seventies. When the rights lapsed, Hollywood began salivating. Rudin has come out the big victor, to produce with Alison Owen (they last teamed up for The Other Boleyn Girl).Nothing else has been set, but word has it that Disney will probably be the studio for the feature, and Leonardo DiCaprio and screenwriter William Monahan will likely sign on. The novel is about Roman Emperor Claudius, written as his secret memoir. It follows the assassination of Julius Caesar, through to Caligula's -- which should make for a good plate of politics and sauciness (although probably not as shocking as Caligula's infamous trip to starring territory). Will they go the British-as-Romans route? Or Americans as Romans? There's lots of ways this could play out, although I'm positive that with the money that's sure to be invested, it will be pretty epic no matter who ends up on the roster. Nevertheless, who would you cast?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-05-2007 @ 6:41PM
KMF said...
Disney? I, Claudius? I don't think that's going to be good! I love the original mini-series. Certainly if this movie has Leonardo DiCaprio anywhere near it, it'll be awful!
I can't say for sure what specific actors I'd prefer to see, but it would be have to be a stellar British or European cast to do it right.
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9-05-2007 @ 7:57PM
Andee23 said...
Big Mistake!
The Mini-Series is a television classic to do a cinema adaptation is a crime against art that's right I said it a FUCKING CRIME AGAINST ART!!!!!! not only that but the scope of the book is to expansive for it to be truncated into a 3 hour film.
this is all around a big mistake and would be a big loss for any studio that think they can take on the challenge.
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9-05-2007 @ 9:23PM
John said...
Andee23 said it best. I've never done this before but I'm just going to repost it verbatim.
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Big Mistake!
The Mini-Series is a television classic to do a cinema adaptation is a crime against art that's right I said it a FUCKING CRIME AGAINST ART!!!!!! not only that but the scope of the book is to expansive for it to be truncated into a 3 hour film.
this is all around a big mistake and would be a big loss for any studio that think they can take on the challenge.
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9-08-2007 @ 1:28PM
SeattleMoviegoer said...
Rudin could even do this as a trilogy or 2 parts. There are 2 books, actually. I, CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD. I vote for Judy Davis or Glenn Close as Livia. However, almost EVERY over-50 great female role goes to
Meryl...not that she's not fantastic. She just gobbles every role. I hope the spoils can be spread around a bit. For Caligula? How 'bout Ben Foster?
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9-05-2007 @ 10:03PM
Beth said...
Disney? You did write Disney, right? I'm not hallucinating, I hope. Don't tell me Leo is going to (TRY) to emulate Derek Jacobi's Claudius? This is terrible news.
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9-05-2007 @ 11:12PM
Maui San said...
I Claudius was a fine book by Robert Graves and the BBC adaptation with Derek Jacobi stands even today as superior production. I wish Scott well -- many of us will be measuring him against this series which by now is over 30 years old. He will have to distill the essence and bring focus -- he will not have 13 hours to play with. Good Luck -- I look forward to seeing this.
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9-06-2007 @ 9:37AM
Kaeli said...
I came here to re-iterate the above comments. I come from the "If it's not broke..." school when it comes to these things. And the BBC miniseries is most defintely not in need of repair.
I've no idea who I'd cast in principal roles, I'm too married to the BBC production. However, in that vein, I think I'd be more inclined to see this film if some of the original actors returned (in new roles, clearly). Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, George Baker, John Hurt, Patrick Stewart, and Sian Phillips are all still working, and the world of Rome is certainly big enough to invite some old friends back, even for a cameo.
Good luck to you, Scott. There's a pretty good chance I'll see this one regardless, but he's definitely got some big shoes to fill.
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