''Romulus'', graphically rendered as , is a 2020 Italian television series created by
Matteo Rovere
Matteo Rovere (born 22 January 1982) is an Italian director, screenwriter and producer. He's the youngest Italian film-maker to have won the Nastro d'argento for best producer, with ''I Can Quit Whenever I Want''.
Life and career
Born in Rome ...
about the
founding of Rome. The show is notable for using
archaic Latin
Old Latin, also known as Early Latin or Archaic Latin (Classical la, prīsca Latīnitās, lit=ancient Latinity), was the Latin language in the period before 75 BC, i.e. before the age of Classical Latin. It descends from a common Proto-Italic ...
instead of
Italian.
Produced by
Sky Italia, Cattleya, and Groenlandia, two episodes of the series premiered at the 2020
Rome Film Festival. The series was first broadcast in Italy on
Sky Atlantic on 6 November 2020. In April 2021 it was renewed for a second season.
The series was sold in over 40 countries.
Cast
Main
* as Yemos (seasons 1-2) Prince of
Alba Longa
Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills. Founder and head of the Latin League, it was d ...
and Enitos' twin brother
* as Wiros (seasons 1-2) Slave from
Velia participating to the
Lupercalia.
*
Marianna Fontana
Marianna Fontana (born 24 April 1997) is an Italian actress and singer. She starred with her twin sister Angela in Indivisible and had the lead role in Capri-Revolution. She played Ilia in the epic TV-series ''Romulus
Romulus () was the legen ...
as Ilia (seasons 1-2) Amulius' daughter and
Vestal priestess.
* as
Amulius / Servios (seasons 1-2) King Numitor's younger brother, later known as Servios.
* as Gala (season 1) Amulius' wife and Ilia's mother.
* as
Silvia
Silvia () is a female given name of Latin origin, with a male equivalent Silvio and English-language cognate Sylvia. The name originates from the Latin word for forest, ''Silva'', and its meaning is "spirit of the wood"; the mythological god of ...
(seasons 1-2) King Numitor's daughter and Yemos and Enitos' mother.
*
Valentina Bellè as
Hersilia (season 2) Leader of the Sabine priestesses.
* Emanuele Di Stefano as
Titus Tatius (season 2)
Sancus' son and King of the
Sabines
The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome.
The Sabines divid ...
.
* Max Malatesta as Sabos (season 2) Titus' advisor and commander of his army.
*
Massimo Foschi as Aranth (season 2) Old
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
**Etruscan ...
in the Land of
Tuscia who heals Yemos.
Recurrent
* as Enitos (season 1) Silvia's son and Yemos' twin brother.
* as Spurius (season 1) King of Velia and Amulius' ally.
*
Yorgo Voyagis
Yorgo Voyagis ( el, Γιώργος Βογιατζής, Giorgos Vogiadzis ; born 6 December 1945) is a Greek actor.
Career as an actor
Voyagis' film debut was in Michael Cacoyannis's ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964). He reappeared three years later in ...
as
Numitor (seasons 1-2) King of Alba Longa, Silvia's father and Yemos and Enitos' grandfather.
* as Cnaeus (season 1) Slave from Velia and king of the Luperci.
*
Emilio De Marchi Emilio De Marchi may refer to:
* Emilio De Marchi (writer) (1851–1901), Italian novelist
* Emilio De Marchi (tenor) (1861–1917), Italian operatic tenor
* Emilio De Marchi (actor)
Emilio De Marchi (born 12 April 1959) is an Italian film and te ...
as Ertas (season 1) King of
Gabii and Lausus' father.
* Marlon Joubert as Lausus (seasons 1-2) Ertas' son.
* as she-Wolf (seasons 1-2) Leader of the Ruminales.
* Demetra Avincola as Deftri (stagioni 1-2) Young warrior of the Ruminales, attracted to Wiros.
* Francesco Santagada as Maccus (seasons 1-2) Last survivor of the Luperci besides Yemos and Wiros. later advisor and lieutenant of the kings together with Herenneis.
* Piergiuseppe di Tanno as Herenneis (seasons 1-2) Warrior of the Ruminales, later advisor and lieutenant of the kings together with Maccus.
* Anna Chiara Colombo as Tarinkri (seasons 1-2) Warrior of the Ruminales.
* Valerio Malorni as Adieis (seasons 1-2) Warrior and healer of the Ruminales.
* Pietro Micci as Attus (seasons 1-2) Priest of
Mars and warrior who trains Ilia to fighting.
* Ludovica Nasti as Vibia (season 2) The youngest among the Sabine priestesses.
*
Giancarlo Commare as
Atys (season 2) King of
Satricum.
Production
The first season of the series was greenlighted in 2019 and it was shot in 28 weeks in Rome.
It was originally shot in
Old Latin.
Reception
The series won the 2021
Nastro d'Argento for best Italian TV series.
Other media
Starting from October 29, 2020, a trilogy of novels that expands the narrative universe, an unpublished cross-media project for Italy, has been published by
HarperCollins. Written by , the volumes are titled ''Romulus: Book I – The Blood of the Wolf'' (29 October 2020), ''Romulus: Book II – The Queen of Battles'' (November 2020) and ''Romulus: Book III – The City of Wolves'' (January 2021).
See also
* ''
The First King: Birth of an Empire'', Rovere's 2019 film about the story of Romulus and Remus spoken in Old Latin.
References
External links
*
{{Sky Atlantic
2020 Italian television series debuts
2020s Italian drama television series
Epic television series
Sky Atlantic (Italy) television programmes