A toga for O'Toole
Thesp plays 'Augustus' in 1st of Roman minis
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The historical mini, which began production in Tunisia in October, is the first of several about the emperors of Rome. The series has been picked up by German pubcaster ZDF, Italy's RAI and Spanish web Telecinco.
Story examines how the young Octavius (Benjamin Sadler), who later takes the name Augustus (O'Toole), assumes control of the empire after the assassination of his uncle Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
Roger Young ("Dracula") is directing a cast that includes Charlotte Rampling, Gottfried John and Italy's Anna Valle as Cleopatra.
Valle also will essay the lead in EOS and Lux Vide's "Soraya," about the former queen of Iran. Born to a German mother and an Iranian father and educated in Germany, Soraya Esfandiari Bakhtiari became the shah's second wife in 1951.
"Soraya" will start shooting at the end of the month in Turkey and Bulgaria. Turkish-born thesp Erol Sander stars as Reza Pahlavi, Iran's last shah, who was dethroned by an Islamic revolution in 1979. France's Claude Brasseur, German thesp Anja Kruse and Spanish actor Jose Sancho are part of the international cast.
"Soraya" has been picked up by Italy's RAI and Telecinco. Producers are in negotiations with a German broadcaster but no domestic deal has been finalized.
Meanwhile, EOS' Gerard Depardieu starrer "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," which it's co-producing with France's GMT, is set to lens in February. Rights to the latest Victor Hugo adaptation have been picked up by A&E, Germany's Sat.1, French channel TF1 and Telecinco.
