Hollywood Still “Plotting” Nero’s Death
TORONTO – Human beings, across time, have fixated on the demagogues who threaten their very existence. And because they are so mesmerized by a cult of personality, modern humans will even create endless biopics of history’s most deplorable figures. Ignoring these historical black holes or dark chapters of our history should never be the antidote, but Hollywood’s monomania with tyrannical figures warrants some introspection.
And few studios/platforms spotlight murder and mayhem more than Netflix. Their latest announcement is the Assassin’s Creed Live Action series, which started shooting in Cinecittà this month. The series is based on a classic video game about a secret war between Assassins and a global organization bent on controlling humanity. The new series will depict parts of Emperor Nero’s reign coinciding with the great fire of Rome.
Cinecittà Studios CEO Manuela Cacciamani remarked on the announcement: “I am honored that Netflix has chosen our studios and our sets to create such a spectacular, ambitious series that is eagerly anticipated around the world. It is a sign of the credibility and reputation that Cinecittà enjoys internationally, and of the professional guarantee we offer to every kind of production, of any genre and scale”.
It’s a big announcement. Assassin’s Creed is one of the bestselling video games in history, having sold more than 230 million copies worldwide since its release in 2007. And Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed series is presumably a big budget project with plenty cachet and commerciality. Cacciamani is right to boast of the project – it’s her role to do so, of course.
Yet if one were to step away from the blinkered capitalist mindset for just a moment, it might occur to us that Nero’s contemporaries would have a slightly different perspective.
We are still speaking of a man who tied Christians to stakes and lit them on fire in his gardens – to serve as lamps for his parties. A man who was responsible for publicly executing, as Tacitus writes, a “vast multitude” of Christians by crucifixion and mauling in the arena.
And his closest friends and relatives were no safer from his bloodlust. Nero poisoned his stepbrother, killed his mother, executed his wife and kicked his pregnant mistress to death in a fit of rage. And when it all came crashing down, the infamous Emperor killed himself while professing “what an artist dies in me!”.
Perhaps like Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the show’s intention is to “right a past wrong” by assassinating Nero, as suggested in the synopsis. “Centered on the secret war between two shadowy factions – one set on determining mankind’s future through control and manipulation (Nero), while the other fights to preserve free will (The Assassins)”.
Whatever the plot, let’s hope exploitation gives way to introspective storytelling.
Images courtesy of Ubisoft and Netflix
Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix
