Shrouded in mystery and notoriety, The Borgias has the makings of a great miniseries. Obviously Showtime feels the same way, and has ordered 13 episodes starring Jeremy Irons and possibly Canadian thespian Colm Feore. Expected to be released spring 2011, the Borgias will replace the Tudor dynasty with even more delicious twists and turns. Rising to power with Rodrigo Borgia's position as Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei, the affluent Spanish-Italian family was accused of adultery, simony, theft, bribery, incest, rape and murder. It's debatable how true all these accusations are, some are very likely to be inflated rumours by rival families vying for power (not unlike the media nowadays).
As the Tudors miniseries wraps up, Showtime has already begun pre-production, ready to inject fresh scandalous material into the mainstream. Written by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), the production has a wealth of material to draw from. Tasty.
There were a few old Borgias (1981, recently an Italian version) adaptations in the past. Here's a taste.
Something tells me the costume designer must be dusting off their shelves for the numerous awards they're going to win.
