The Borgias

[tammyy2j]

"The Tudors" reign just ended on Showtime and the cable network's next historical drama -- "The Borgias" -- won't premiere until next year, but the bloodlust is already growing.

Jeremy Irons stars as Rodrigo Borgia, the family patriarch, while Holliday Grainger and David Oakes were recently cast as his illegitimate daughter -- the much-married, allegedly incestuous poisoner Lucrezia -- and son, Giovanni (Juan). Joanna Whalley will play Vanossa, one of Rodrigio's mistresses and the acknowledged mother of four (including Lucrezia and Juan) of his seven children.

Shooting begins in Hungary this July and Oscar-winning writer/director/executive producer Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game") draws comparisons between the Borgia clan and another famous Italian family, the Corleones.

"It is interesting to note that Mario Puzo based 'The Godfather' on the Borgia Family," says Jordan. "It's almost like 'The Godfather' brought home to fifteenth century Rome.

"Except," he adds, "it was far more savage than 'The Godfather' was."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGz0YzeoJcc&feature=player_embedded

[tammyy2j]

Showtime has announced that it has renewed The Borgias for a second season.

The Borgias stars Jeremy Irons as the corrupt pope Rodrigo Borgia, known as Pope Alexander VI. According to Entertainment Weekly, Showtime has renewed the historical drama for 10 more episodes scheduled to premiere in Summer 2012.

"The Borgias has become Sunday night appointment viewing for a broad swathe of our subscribers," said David Nevins, president of Showtime.

He continued: "Neil Jordan's cleverly crafted tale of a 15th century papal family has proven quickly addictive. It's a tribute to his incredible skills as an auteur and to the extraordinary cast led by Jeremy Irons that this show fits so seamlessly into our line-up of quality shows."

Jordan has compared the series to The Godfather, stating that The Borgias is actually more savage. Meanwhile, James Flynn, the executive producer of the Showtime series, recently said that he believes The Borgias has been so well-received because of its contemporary themes.

The series is currently averaging 1.1 million viewers a week.

The Borgias airs Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime. It will broadcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic in the summer.

[tammyy2j]

It started last night on Sky Atlantic anyone catch it?

[Trinity]

It started last night on Sky Atlantic anyone catch it?

I have recorded it, I hope to have time to watch it soon.

[tammyy2j]

Dark, racy period drama The Borgias kicks off on Sky Atlantic tomorrow night, and stars Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, a ruthless clergyman who uses his wits and cunning - not to mention the odd spot of bribery and murder - to be elected as Pope Alexander VI.

To mark the show's UK premiere, Digital Spy caught up with David Oakes, who plays Rodrigo's arrogant young son, Juan. In our chat below, David tells all about his "lecherous" role and reveals how close he came to taking up a new career as a stuntman! Warning: there a few (historical) spoilers contained within!

How much did you know about the Borgias before this show?
"Not a massive amount, it must be said. I knew a lot more about the Renaissance than anything else. The Borgias was a family name that had popped up in [my] reading before, and I knew of Lucretia Borgia, although we call her 'Lucrezia' - the Spanish pronunciation. But I didn't know much. It was that whole kind of relish in the fact that this was a period of time like the Enlightenment or the Industrial Revolution. The Renaissance was a point where humanity, technology, art and warcraft all came together in this mishmash. And through all of this, there is the possibility for individuals or even families to become massively famous, massively wealthy and massively powerful.

In this period, you've got the Medicis, but you've also got the Borgias, and that was the extent of my knowledge. To then research what [the Borgias] did with those possibilities was amazing. To be the problem child of that family, at that time, and to have the ability to get whatever I want, and do whatever I want whenever I want to do it, but without an understanding of the repercussions, to be a complete hedonist, was fantastic."


Is it fun exploring the wild, raucous side to Juan?
"Yeah, definitely. Alongside that though… I mean, yes he's lecherous and debaucherous, and he pours wine over prostitutes dressed as nuns, and he beats up his father and sleeps with his brother's wife, and various other things like that! But underlying that, there's a key concern of [his] paternity, and through that, and through the way in which he lets down his family over the course of the season, there's a complete degradation of character. It's to such a point that by the end of the series, he's alienated almost the entire family and the entirety of Rome. I know that I've got a hell of a lot of exciting stuff to do [in season two] and I get my payback! I can't wait!"

What's your take on the rivalry between Juan and his brother Cesare (Francois Arnaud)?
"I think what's kind of fun is that from Cesare's perspective, I'm the younger brother, I'm a bit rubbish, I'm an upstart, and he begrudges the fact that I'm the favourite. So that's kind of as far as he goes, and obviously I get worse and that p*sses him off. From my point of view, what I think is brilliant is that at the beginning of the series I don't realise what's going on and just love being the favourite, and I love the fact that I can wind [Cesare] up like nothing else. So it starts off like that - quite jovial, quite fun, quite charming, quite light and frothy. But through the nature of the positions that the family find themselves in, I become a figurehead for the country and suddenly it's not just family rivalry, it's a war. I let down the nation, and I start to envy the fact that my brother may have been able to do it better. I start to hate the fact that I'm the underling, and I hate the fact that my family starts to loathe me. That hate starts to boil, and it gets great!"


How aware were you of Neil Jordan's work before this series?
"Very, in one way or another. When I was at youth theatre, we adapted his film The Company of Wolves into a stage play, which we did outside in an amphitheatre in Epping Forest. We didn't charge entry so it was alright that we didn't ask him for the rights! So I sort of grew up watching his films, and am amazed by him, quite frankly. Yes, we're working with him at the moment on this show, and he's writing and directing it, which is great. But the most exciting thing is that this is his pet project that he's had in his head for 20 years. So you've had this 15 years' worth of creativity held up inside him. Two years ago, when Showtime said, 'Here's the money', he just vomited The Borgias into our heads!"

Were you required to do much training for Juan's battle scenes?
"Funnily enough, it was the same horse team that was on [Starz mini-series] Pillars of the Earth and the same stunt team too. It was just like rejoining my family. Off the back of Pillars, the stunt co-ordinator Gabor offered me work as a stuntman, because they need people who can horse ride and fight on horseback. I was well up for doing more. There's a limited amount in The Borgias but, yeah, I love it. I could do a lot more."


How did it feel to be renewed for season two before the first season had even finished?
"It's nice to know you're in a winner! It's really nice to know that. First of all, it had the highest ratings [Showtime] ever had for seven years, then they picked it up [for season two]. I think the best thing about that was knowing that everything I've done for the character was all about creating this fully-rounded, real life, and all I'd done was this first third of his life. Once I knew it was going again, I was delighted that I was going to be able to finish this character. I'm not going to say whether that's this season or the season after, but we will see his arc, which is great."

As you've hinted, the real Juan Borgias was murdered in his early 20s. Do you know at what point that will happen on the show?
"We can't change history, so he will be dying at some point. It depends on what else we need to do. Historically, there's lots of stuff we need to do - he needs to get married to the Princess of Spain, and there's a lot more real things he needs to do. And we don't actually know who killed him historically - there are a lot of rumours about various different people. So what Neil will go for will be quite interesting! I have my suspicions, but it could be anyone. By the end of this first season, he's p*ssed off pretty much everyone!"

Finally, why should people tune into The Borgias?
"It's beautifully shot, it looks stunning, the dialogue is clever, politicised, pertinent and bleak. Yeah, it's amazing."

The Borgias begins on Saturday, August 13 at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.

[Chloe O'brien]

It looks cracking. I haven't got Sky so I'll have to buy the boxset when it comes out.

[lizann]

Irons is great in it