Today we have our first look at Sky and Amazon’s new ten-part series Britannia. Featuring Kelly Reilly and David Morrissey the series the takes us into the dark heart of the Roman Conquest of Britain.
Written by Jez Butterworth, whose recent works include Edge of Tomorrow, Black Mass and a hand in the script for James Bond’s latest outing Spectre, the flagship series has assembled a solid cast to tell its story.
As well as being a fine looking show, there’s a great deal of mythology to dive into. Butterworth has spoken on the subject,
“Besides being hard, hard warriors, the Celts have a belief system which makes them almost invincible. It’s a deep, heavy magic. Last time the Romans tried to invade, the mighty Julius Caesar took one look, turned round and went straight home. Now, almost a century later, the Romans are back. I’m fascinated in what happens when gods die. When an entire, ancient faith stalls, topples, collapses – and a whole new one grows in its place.”
We’ve got the first look images of Reilly and Morrissey below, as well as the series synopsis. Take a look.
Britannia synopsis
Britannia is an epic drama set in 43AD as the Roman Imperial Army – determined and terrified in equal measure – returns to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia – a mysterious land ruled by warrior women and powerful druids who can channel the powerful forces of the underworld. Or so they say.
Kerra (Kelly Reilly)
Kerra is the fearless and strong-minded daughter of Pellenor, King of the Cantii. Her independent streak puts her at odds with her family, but when the Romans invade, she will have to choose between her own feelings, her tribal duty and the demands of the druids.
Aulus (David Morrissey)
One of the Roman Empire’s greatest generals, Aulus Plautius has been charged by Emperor Claudius to conquer Britannia – a country that previously defeated the great Julius Caesar. Aulus’s world view is grounded in reason, iron resilience and a powerful belief in his gods. However, Britannia and its druids, seem to offer him something far more compelling than just victory over the land.
Divis [Nikolaj Lie Kaas]
Divis is a rogue druid caught between his own need to stop the Romans and realising he is part of a much bigger plan.
Britannia is currently shooting on location in Prague and Wales and will air on Sky in the UK and Ireland and be available on Amazon Prime Video in the US in 2017.
Sweet Jebus.
If “a country that previously defeated the great Julius Caesar.” is the understanding of history that this show is based on, then it’s not very reassuring that this won’t be steaming hot garbage.
Then again, lackadaisical melodrama with Romans as one-dimensional fascist boogeymen worked for that Spartacus show.
I’d kill to get a serious drama about the Roman conquest/occupation of Britain that had three dimensional characters in it. Can you imagine a retelling of Boudicca’s revolt, but with the storytelling and characterization quality of HBO’s Rome?