Amazon has ordered a series adaptation of A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii from Vikings creator Michael Hirst, Horatio Hirst and Gladiator director Ridley Scott, according to Variety.
Pompeii was a city in the Roman Empire that was located near Mount Vesuvius, an inactive volcano until its eruption in 79 AD. The city is famous not only for the story of Vesuvius’ eruption, in which most of its citizens were killed or forced to flee, but being one of the only cities of the Empire to have most of its original architecture preserved due to being covered in the volcano’s ash, making it one of the most significant historical and archeological sites from the Imperial era.
A Day of Fire is a collection of stories by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot and Vicky Alvear focusing on the lives of Pompeii’s citizens in the day leading up to Mount Vesuvius’ eruption. The synopsis of the books reads:
Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and these are their stories.
A Day of Fire will be written by Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst with the pair serving as showrunners and executive producers. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Clayton Krueger and Sharon Hughff will executive produce for Scott Free Productions.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.