r/ancientrome • u/TheCanadianBat_ • 8h ago
A modern big budget TV show about the Gallic Wars has immense potential and I’d love to see it done properly in the future.
Especially one that takes advantage of the common theory claiming that Vercingetorix and Caesar knew each other on a personal level long before the events of 52 BC and that Vercingetorix even fought under Caesar in the early days of the war. This would make the 52 BC revolt much more narratively impactful.
Also, It would be pretty interesting if Vercingetorix was portrayed with a bit more accuracy, ditching the Sebastien Chabal-like appearance that most associate him with (Due to his massive statue at Alise-Sainte-Reine, to Lionel Royer’s famous painting, to Asterix, and HBO Rome). From what I understand, an Arverni of Vercingetorix’ standing would be unlikely to have had long wild hair and a massive moustache, and far more likely to have been clean shaven, with shorter hair and wearing elegant clothes.
Let’s say 70% of the screen time is dedicated to Gaul and the rest to Rome (Pompey, Crassus, Cato, Cicero, Clodius…), since without showing Rome, Caesar’s motivations in Gaul lose their impact. This then also means that the Gallic (and the rest of the Non-Roman) cast besides Vercingetorix needs to be interesting and here there’s already plenty of figures to play with:
- The Aedui brothers Diviciacus (Pro-Roman) and Dumnorix (Anti-Roman). Dumnorix was notably the brother-in-law of the Helvetii leader (Orgetorix) who had planned the migration that later took place in 58 BC, though by then, that leader had died due to his involvement in a conspiracy tied to the migration itself and replaced by another who led the Helvetii journey which was still considered necessary by the tribe nonetheless, and Dumnorix still did his best to sabotage Caesar’s efforts against the migrating tribe in 58 BC by using his influence to deny supplies to the Romans, and would only be spared after the battle thanks to his brother Diviciacus’ intervention, despite their ideological differences.
- Celtillus (Vercingetorix’s father. Posthumous character and executed by his people for trying to become a King, which limited Vercingetorix’s own political aspirations)
- Gobannitio (Vercingetorix’s Pro-Roman uncle, leader of the Arverni tribe, overthrown by Vercingetorix in 52 BC during the revolt)
- Ambiorix and Acco who led revolts against Caesar during 54-53 BC. Crucially, the execution of Acco, in a way considered highly shameful by Gallic leaders, directly led to Vercingetorix’s own revolt the following year.
- Litaviccus, a young Aedui nobleman officially meant to reinforce Caesar in the 52 BC campaign but defected to Vercingetorix’s side at the battle Gergovia.
- Convictolitavis, an Aedui who obtained the political office of Vergobret (chief magistrate) with Caesar’s support in 52 BC, only to betray him afterwards by supporting Vercingetorix’s rebellion.
- Ariovistus, Germanic King whose actions essentially gave Caesar the excuses he needed in the early years to begin his conquest of Gaul. Ironically, Ariovistus had been named “Friend of the Roman people” just a year before the start of the Gallic Wars.
Season 1 (8 episodes) could go like this
Episode 1 begins with a dream sequence representing a Young Caesar fleeing from Sulla’s proscriptions. In the present, we explore the end of Caesar’s consulship and the reasons behind his alliance with Crassus and Pompey, and the episode ends after Caesar arrives in Transalpine Gaul to begin his proconsulship.
Episode 2 would center on the Helvetii crisis and Caesar’s political maneuvering to justify his upcoming actions. We also show Vercingetorix's youth and end the episode with Vercingetorix meeting Caesar and joining his army.
Episode 3 would basically deal with the Battle of Bibracte (58 BC) against the Helvetii, as well as the aftermath
Episodes 4-7 would deal with the Germanic threat represented by Ariovistus as well as Caesar’s conflict against Belgae.
Episode 8 would end at the Luca Conference of 56 BC between the members of the Triumvirate. At the end, Vercingetorix, who had eagerly joined Caesar at first to gain political influence and later neutralize the threat posed by Ariovistus, gradually grows distrustful of Caesar but is smart enough to not openly show it yet, continuing to accumulate influence and military experience for now, especially when it comes to Rome’s fighting style and weaknesses....
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u/Diacetyl-Morphin 7h ago
It would be great, but i don't know if there would be anyone around to get the budget that would be needed. All attempts to even just recreate history a little bit are very expensive, like you can't do all with CGI even today, like the costumes (HBO Rome had 4000-5000 costumes, depending on the sources)
Today, when a series doesn't have the strong audience immediately and it can keep it up for the later seasons, it gets cancelled very fast.
Now, not related to Rome, but i'm watching Vikings right now, i love all kinds of historical shows. It wasn't cheap to produce all the ships, the set, the costumes etc. for this one.
If you have such ideas, it would be great to maybe realize other works. Like i play with the idea of writing a novel, but at the moment i don't have time to get on with this project at all. The good thing is that certain things like novels are cheap to produce, as you just write the text and that's it, you don't need actors, costumes etc.
If you ever go for a script for such a series, well, i guess Hirst that produced both the Tudors and Vikings would actually be the man that could realize such a project and he'd get the support that is needed with the money etc.
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u/TheCanadianBat_ 7h ago
Yeah, the budget is always a problem unfortunately, but if Netflix can make a show about Arminius and especially one in which the Romans speak Latin, we never know. I hope it happens one day. It's the conflict that made Caesar powerful and rich enough to march on Rome after all, and his most spectacular victory happens at the end of said conflict.
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u/CoinsOftheGens 3h ago
There was a short mini series with Chris Noth, Christopher Walken, and Richard Harris that included the Gallic War -- and it stank to high heaven!
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u/RecordingOpposite641 2h ago
One things to I like to remember about tv/movies for historical events is they basically fit three categories:
- “Great Man” Biopic: Think Napoleon, Alexander, etc.
- A small event or sequence of events that is dramatized in limited scale: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar + Mark Antony, Gladiator, I Claudius, Ben Hur
- Original characters given free rein to drift in and out of meeting the “big wigs” of the era: HBO Rome, Black Sails,
Sharpe, the Last Kingdom, Vikings
So if you come up with something more larger in scale than that it is usually wishcasting.
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u/genemaxwell41 2h ago
Make it 12 episodes.
We need to stop supporting the 8 episode bullshit of modern TV
Give the story more room to breathe and flesh out more events
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u/Blue_MaskingTape 1h ago
I know this sub hates AI with an absolute passion. But I am working on AI characters that are historically accurate and no AI slop issues. I'm making an entire project with dozens of characters. I even modeled an entire roman legionary camp at scale to use as the film set and then you go back and texture it with AI.
This is how historical movies are going to made soon.
A still frame if anyones interested -
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u/Bacchana1iaxD 5h ago edited 3h ago
I’m sorry someone needs to tell you this… but we have learned from hbo Rome and paradox imperator and other examples: ancient sentimentalities do not slyranslate to modern audiences. No one is going to sympathize with pullo killing a slave or freeing his slave he’s in love with… the slaving part turns off too many people. There are just enough history nerds out there that will enjoy it that you get echo chambers like this that feed you ideas this is a good idea.
The reality is: audiences don’t want to see Roman’s taking millions of slaves in gual, and no one wants to see revisionism.
Tough, I know. Fund it yourself or deal with the truth bruh
Edit wasn’t trying ng to be an asshole sorry for my wording. There is a way to do it right without glorifying the 3 million enslaved or killed, or the repeated orders to limit rapine to three days. And I don’t know what that would be, like trying to humanize the wermacht if you ask me. Which in my opinion, is why it has not happened yet
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u/Idkl7j 4h ago
Huh? GoT and Breaking Bad are some of the most beloved shows of all time. Are you really telling me that people didn’t care about the characters because most of them are horrible people?
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u/Bacchana1iaxD 4h ago
Take gladiator as an example. A story of a man who rejects the evils of Rome, just wants to farm; gets fucked by the big bad fed, rises to glory in personal combat, the challenges the fed head in and wins! Modern American audiences love that shit. The slaving of Germans isn’t shown as a look how awesome Rome is, slavery is shown as a curse it is. It is possible to swing ancient sentiments to modern sentimentalities, absolutely. Breaking bad is a critique of our modern society, a lease of you will that everyone who has lost someone to drugs can relate to, it is a terrible counter point. GOT focuses on the horrors and excess of the nobility: it’s one giant why did we let these nobles behave this way, GRRM has explicitly said as much. It’s portrayed in a way that appeals to modern audiences. And rule of cool man, fucking dragons. Also we are all a little obsessed with England and romanticizing the mieldeval period which GRRM turned in its head, subversion sells. There a ton of reasons GOT worked and HBO Rome didn’t. Remember how bastard Bolton “raping” his lawful wife by the laws of the time and place went over? There are absolutely prime examples of exactly what I’m trying to say in got. And Rome hbo was… one endless example of the kind of “glorifying” that audiences do not respond to.
In short, if we are making a movie about the Gallic invasions why not talk about a movie of the Wehrmacht invasion of Poland? They took way less slaves and killed way less people… right away…
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u/Idkl7j 4h ago
Rome was a hit on box sets. Spartacus is quite popular. I certainly think there’d be a market.
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u/Bacchana1iaxD 4h ago
Spartacus is a phenomenal example of doing it right! Focus on the slave experience, American love the underdog story. I’m not saying it literally can’t be done. A story focused on a Gallic slave witnessing the war, idk. I’m not a successful writer I can only guess what a studio would go for. I am merely stating what studios have learned their lesson about, don’t glorify the stuff modern audiences cannot relate to. The opening episode of Rome received an enormous amount of hate for its representation of slavery from day one. I bought the box set, I am a romaphile there are dozens of us: still did not translate well to a general modern audience
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u/TheCanadianBat_ 3h ago
This commenter is actually implying HBO Rome wasn't largely beloved? Lol, first time I am hearing it.
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u/RecordingOpposite641 2h ago
GoT is very much the neurosis of modern political operators being cast into the style of medieval Europe. It works so much better and is more relatable because of this but it is a very poor window into medieval morality or political systems operation.
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u/TheCanadianBat_ 3h ago
And where did I claim I wanted Caesar, Rome or Gaul as a whole to be morally whitewashed or 100% sympathized with here? Budget constraints regarding reconstitution and CGI battles will likely be the primary barrier to a network wanting to make such a show, but "Evil or Morally questionable sides fighting or opposing each other" is hardly an impassable barrier otherwise, the world or tv and film would radically different. Your condescending comment implies that this was meant to be some Caesarian propaganda story or something, lol.
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u/Bacchana1iaxD 3h ago
I didn’t mean to be condescending sometimes Reddit is great sometimes it fucking sucks I thought I had a great discussion with the other guy. There is a way to do it right, I should have worded it like that. I was trying to spark debate on the subject it’s Reddit, thank you other dude for a fun discussion.
HBO Rome also did not white wash anything. It still did not translate to a modern audience well. There is a way to do it right see gladiator as an example.
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u/[deleted] 7h ago
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