ILBE, Marguerite Yourcenar’s “Memoirs of Hadrian” becomes a TV series

February 16, 2024

ILBE announces a new six-part series on the life of Emperor Hadrian;
Francesco Piccolo (L’amica geniale, Gli Sdraiati, Notti Magiche) signs the screenplay.

“MEMOIRS OF HADRIAN,” Marguerite Yourcenar’s bestselling masterpiece chronicling the life of Traiano’s successor, becomes a TV series.

The series is written and scripted by Francesco Piccolo, Strega Prize winner for “Il desiderio di essere come tutti” and author of screenplays for Nanni Moretti, Paolo Virzì, Francesca Archibugi, Marco Bellocchio, Matteo Rovere, Daniele Lucchetti and Saverio Costanzo. Produced by ILBE – a company founded by Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi – it tells the story of Emperor Hadrian in six episodes.

From childhood, the life of a profound and sensitive man, aware of his imperial role and the burden he carries, is told.

A wise and far-sighted diplomat and a human being marked by splendors and fears, Hadrian defended his immense love for the arts to cover the shame caused by the emptiness of his youth. And then his passions: a natural and complete bisexuality that was also controversial and self-centered. The sorrows and tragedies, feelings of deep friendship and respect for humanity. All these themes will be explored in the series, offering an intimate look at the emperor’s complex psychology and his lasting impact on European history and culture.

“We are thrilled to announce this new production that brings to life the extraordinary world of Marguerite Yourcenar through the pen of Francesco Piccolo.” – says Andrea Iervolino, CEO of ILBE Group. “We are ready to bring the compelling and complex story of Emperor Hadrian to the screen, exploring his free spirit and personal challenges in a series that promises to bring viewers to life the story of one of the most influential figures in ancient Roman history. Hadrian’s life is told at a time of great historical change, of traumatic revolutions in values that occurred between the end of paganism and the beginning of Christianity, a time of transition similar to today’s world landscape, which is constantly shaken by profound transformations.”

Synopsis

From Marguerite Yourcenar’s masterpiece, which has sold 25 million copies worldwide: here is the human adventure of young Publius Aelius Hadrianus, destined to become emperor and “lord of all things.” An existence poised between ordinary passions and extraordinary events, between fleeting fires of the soul and absolute loves, illusions, victories, and heartbreaking loneliness. The strengths and weaknesses of a genius, ruler of an immense and unique kingdom in the history of the world.