Mark Wahlberg Producing Origin Story of Young Julius Caesar

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Julius Caesar is heading back to the big screen.

Mark Wahlberg and partner Stephen Levinson have signed on to produce The Roman, an origin story for Roman emperor Julius Caesar that is described as being "in the vein of Batman Begins that envisions the future dictator as a young general in the Roman army in a rarely discussed period of his life."

Further plot details via Deadline:

Kidnapped by Cilician pirates and enslaved on their prison island, Caesar escapes with his men, and the decisions he makes during this time directly affect the political and social upheaval happening in Rome. As Plutarch tells it, Caesar maintained such an air of superiority during his imprisonment that he demanded his captors more than double the ransom they had placed on his life; after he escaped, he made his way back and brutally crucified the perpetrators as he’d vowed he would. Upon his return to Rome, Caesar powered into politics on his way toward ruling the empire.

The film's script is by Travis Baker and Richard Tanne, the duo behind upcoming indie horror film Mischief Night. No news on casting as of yet, but Wahlberg and Levinson are reportedly looking for a director before shopping The Roman to the major studios.

Via: Deadline