‘Tis the season for modernizing stories from ancient history, it seems. NBC is already developing Kings, a series based on the relationship between the biblical monarchs Saul and David. And now, says the Hollywood Reporter, Mandalay Pictures has picked up the film rights to Julius, a graphic novel by Antony Johnston and Brett Weldele that re-imagines Julius Caesar as “a London crime king who is beloved like royalty by the public. His generals, however, conspire against him.” F. Gary Gray is attached to direct the film, and one of Mandalay’s executives told Variety that Gray “has a vision for this adaptation that will satirize obsessive consumerism while providing a thrilling ride for audiences.” Glad to hear they’ve got that covered. Interestingly, this graphic novel is not based directly on ancient history, but on Shakespeare’s version of the story. So there are several layers of interpretation here: Shakespeare’s adaptation of history, the graphic novel’s adaptation of Shakespeare, and the movie’s adaptation of the graphic novel. Got all that?
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