In his 6-part/3-part series Massimo Brega will follow in the footsteps of Odysseus along his epic journey back from the Trojan War. The director will traverse The Mediterranean, shedding new light both on the Greek hero and his chronicler Homer, ultimately looking to determine whether the epic voyage ever really took place.
Camilla Tartaglione of Italian production house Kepach points out that the myth of Odysseus and his 10-year journey back to his kingdom of Ithaca is very much a tale with contemporary resonance, played out on a sea that once united countries but which now divides them. It also features a complex and flawed hero. As director Massimo Brega notes, “On the one hand he is strong and resolute, on the other he is a victim of his own weakness and temptations. He is a traveller and a hero connecting people and cultures, while, at the same time, his curiosity and lust for knowledge often push him to betray his own faithful companions.”
The Italian/English/French-language series, budgeted at € 733,419 (with just over €600,000 secured) will be available in various packages, as 6×52’ and 3×52′, or even as a 1×60’ film. Shooting will complete in January 2022 before delivery in June 2022. One of the first broadcasters to sign up was, appropriately, Cosmote TV (Greece). “It is a tripartite co-production, between Italy, France, and Canada. So, the Italian rights are still available and this is the reason why we’re going to Mia because we’re really looking forward to securing an Italian broadcaster.”
In determining whether the myth has basis in fact the series will analyse the many different theories on the actual geographical route taken in The Odyssey. It will also include Felice Vinci’s hypothesis which claims that the epic events took place in the Baltic Sea, which is why the production of Odyssey: Behind the Myth has also ventured into northern Europe.
There will be an episode devoted to Homer, the enigmatic and supposed author of the classical works. “Obviously we will be doing this with the help of international Homeric experts and scholars,” says Tartaglione. “And we will be also using multidisciplinary applied sciences to reveal the basis of some of the Odyssey’s most compelling tales, like Polyphemus (the one-eyed giant), or Circe (the enchantress and minor goddess), which in reality, might have been linked to some phenomenon, because of course this is mythology. So we are attempting to provide clues on the relationship between the myth and what might’ve really happened. Or indeed where it might have happened.”
“Obviously we will contextualize it through ancient history and we will be using the arts in all their forms, including 3d animations,” she comments, adding that she is in negotiation with the makers of ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for use of their gaming animation in the series.
Director Brega reflects further on the projects’ appeal to Italian, European and global audiences, whether they be scholars or laypersons. “I have had the opportunity to visit almost every corner of the Mediterranean region, starting from my home country Italy and venturing around the entire coastline to find the same colourful and vibrant peoples, with its contradictions, hopes and dreams. This is where I have realized how Ulysses, the most human of mythological heroes, is himself an embodiment of this unique civilisation.”
