ALEXANDER THE GREAT

At only 33 years old, Alexander appears to be an extremely contradictory character. Sometimes he is a dreamer and a visionary, and sometimes he is a cold and calculating man of power; sometimes he is an outstanding commander of troops, sometimes he is a hideous war criminal. He is capable of being both tolerant and tyrannical, forgiving of his worst enemies, and ruthless towards his best friends. But no matter what he does, he does it to excess – and his alcohol consumption is no exception. Alexander is known for being a drinker who easily loses control. At one party, he goes so off the rails that he stabs Kleitos, one of his best friends and officers.

While he is remembered for founding many cities – starting with Alexandria – he also contributed to the destruction of many more ... be it the result of military calculations, such as the sieges of Thebes and Tyros, or the result of drunkenness, such as the devastating fire of Persepolis. To sum him up, Alexander was a man capable of both the best and worst of things. And he did not trust anyone except Bukephalos, his beloved horse Alexander had tamed as a young boy. 

Uwe Kersken:

“We depict Alexander as more than a cruel conqueror and usurper, or daredevil always at the front of the action: we also show him as a curious researcher, who shows great interest in the foreign cultures he had planned to destroy.  The eternal bachelor, who spends his time almost exclusively with his closest comrades and favorite horse, finds true love in Persia and marries Roxana. 

The almost ‘soap opera’-like family environment he lived in as a teenager on his father’s farm are also fascinating, and we explore these in the early parts of the series. If you are witness to intrigue, adultery, and even murder and manslaughter among your closest relatives and parents as a growing man, it isn’t such a surprise that you take these experiences with you as you go out into the world ... and seek to conquer it.”

Series
Screenplay: Michael Hirst (Vikings, Tudors)
Based on an idea and a treatment by Uwe Kersken and William J Macdonalds.
Cooperation G5 fiction with NDF (Eric Welbers) and coop agreement with Mediabiz.