HBO Max orders new Greek mythology drama series ‘Circe’

With all the fantasy shows being cooked up all over the place, you knew it wouldn’t take long for somebody to launch another foray into the fabulous mythologies of past civilizations, and HBO Max — WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service — has taken aim at ancient Greece. The TV series is named Circe, and HBO has pre-ordered eight episodes.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by author Madeline Miller (a follow-up to her popular The Song of Achilles), the story takes place among the angry gods and vicious monsters of Greek myth. The super-hot Hollywood team of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Jurassic World, Planet of the Apes, plus Disney’s Mulan and the two Avatar sequels) will both executive produce and write the series under the umbrella of Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content.

Sarah Aubrey, head of originals at HBO Max, outlined what viewers can expect from the show. “Circe tells an epic story of love, loss, tragedy and immortal conflict, all through the eyes of a fierce female lens,” she writes. “I’ve been a longtime fan of Rick and Amanda’s work and their ability to simultaneously build epic imaginative worlds while creating emotional dynamic characters. In partnership with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping, we have the dream team to bring Circe to life.”

Circe was a powerful Greek deity of magic, appearing in various forms as an enchantress, sorceress or nymph, who often transformed her enemies into animals. She’s best known for from her appearance in Homer’s The Odyssey, where she turns Odysseus’ crew into pigs and ends up delivering two of his children. In other legends, Circe turns King Picus into a woodpecker and the sea god Glaucus into a grotesque monster.

Circe offering the cup to Odysseus, by John Waterhouse. 1891. Public domain

The blurb for the book picks up many things from the legend, but with a more grounded take on the characters and their relationships:

"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power–the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves."

HBO Max plans a beta launch in late 2019, but its scripted and original programming won’t start airing until sometime in 2020.

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And if you’re wondering, yes, “Circe” is pronounced like “Cersei” from Game of Thrones. I’m sure they could learn from each other.

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