TVSquad

One of the greatest TV mini-series of all time was I, Claudius. It was riveting TV and every time it's been repeated since it premiered in 1976, I've watched it religiously. The Robert Graves novel about the Roman empire, including the mad Caligula, is now set for a remake. Director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot) will be helming an adaptation of I, Claudius with Nye Heron and Sheridan penning the script.

At this point, the project seems headed to the big screen. That would be a plus insofar as the set design and lush look. However, one of the benefits of the 1976 version was the length. It was 13 episodes, a hour each (sans commercials). That meant the complexities of Graves' novel -- and there were dozens of them -- not to mention the enormous cast of characters, could be played out.

The story tells of Rome's most unlikely emperor, Claudius, who ruled from 41-54 A.D. He was a stuttering, limping boy who was never considered smart enough or savvy enough to emerge as a successor to the emperor. Despite the odds against him, and thanks to the treachery, murder and political maneuvering all around him, Claudius actually became emperor and ruled successfully.

The plot description doesn't do the story justice. That 1976 version was amazing and made stars of little known British actors Derek Jacobi as Claudius, John Hurt as Caligula and Sian Phillips as the evil Livia. Also in the cast -- with hair -- was a hunky Patrick Stewart, pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation of course.

There was another version of I, Claudius; a 1937 film by Josef von Sternberg that starred Charles Laughton but never was completed. Last year, Scott Rudin was trying to get rights to the project for Leonardo DiCaprio. It would have been a stretch to see Leo as Claudius, but he might have pulled it off. Perhaps he still can if he's willing to work with Sheridan.

I'm curious to see how this plays out, and if it does reach the movies, I'll go see it. But I worry that it may be spoiled; the same way I'm worried about this new AMC version of The Prisoner.

I, Claudius was a brilliant piece of work, filled with everything that makes great storytelling. There's ambition, jealousy, sex, violence, incest, depravity, politics, poison and humor. I'll never forget Livia's line after having killed Augustus, the emperor, her husband, she tells Tiberius, "Don't touch the figs." I hope Sheridan is the right flimmaker to make it great again.