BBC and HBO join to produce Roman epic

The BBC is joining forces with America’s HBO cable network to jointly produce the epic historical drama Rome.

Casting is currently underway in London for the project, which has been at least three years in development, reports Variety. It was originally conceived as a mini-series but will now be a full-blown 12-episode affair which will make its debut on BBC2 and HBO in 2005.

Set in 51 BC, at the onset of Caesar’s return to Rome, the series will centre on two Roman soldiers who prevent Caesar’s mentor, Pompey, from instigating mutiny, an act that interweaves their lives with Marc Antony, Cleopatra and Octavian, the boy destined to become Rome’s first emperor.

The series will be shot in Rome’s Cincecitta studios and various parts of Europe and North Africa.

“This is one of the most ambitious projects I have come across and its epic scale is inspiring,” BBC programming director Jana Bennett told the newspaper.

“Forging such a strong creative partnership with HBO, one of the world’s most respected drama producers, is part of the BBC’s role as both a catalyst and an enabler for exciting new projects.”

The two networks previously partnered on the Emmy-winning Steven Spielberg mini-series Band Of Brothers.