The Last Legion (2007)

"The Roman world is in the throes of death, but a new myth, destined to span the centuries, is waiting to be born".

"At the end of an Empire, a new legend will be born"

Click at the player to hear 22 soundbites from this movie

With thanks to Jesslala

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PRODUCTION STILLS AVAILABLE HERE

Last Legion Trailer available here

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Summary:

Rome, 476AD. The Roman Empire is under threat. A mighty force for almost 500 years, at its height Rome’s power spread from Mesopotamia in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west, from the Rhine and Danube in the north to Egypt in the south. This story follows the events surrounding the historical capture of Romulus Augustus and his imprisonment on the island of Capri.

On the eve of the ceremony to crown twelve-year-old Romulus Augustus (THOMAS SANGSTER) as the new emperor, the Barbarian general Odoacer (PETER MULLAN) arrives in Rome to make a deal with Orestes (IAIN GLEN), patrician and father of the young Caesar. Odoacer makes demands on the power of the Roman Empire, in fair exchange for his decade-long support of the Roman legions in the east. Orestes refuses.

On the day of the coronation, as the whole of Rome gathers to watch the proceedings, Ambrosinus (SIR BEN KINGSLEY), the shaman who is a mentor and tutor to Romulus, predicts danger. Orestes is worried for his son’s safety and appoints Aurelius (COLIN FIRTH), the tribune of the fourth legion, as his personal guard. That night Aurelius and his legionnaires are confronted by a real danger – Odoacer and his army of Goths have returned to the outskirts of Rome to conquer the city.

With a deafening roar, the Barbarian army storm the city. A terrible battle ensues, the brutal invaders show no mercy and blood flows through the streets. With Orestes and his wife Julia slaughtered, Romulus is captured along with Ambrosinus and both are taken to the island fortress of Capri built by the emperor Tiberius. It is there that Romulus finds the mythical sword of Caesar that holds the prophecy ‘One edge to defend, one to defeat; In Britannia was I forged…to fit the hand of he...who is destined to rule’.

But not all the Roman legionnaires are dead. Aurelius is alive and when he learns that the Byzantine Empire will give Romulus sanctuary, he embarks on the journey to the coast accompanied by a small group of his men and a mysterious, black-clad Byzantine warrior. On the journey, Aurelius discovers what lies behind the black clothing - a young, beautiful woman called Mira (AISHWARYA RAI).

Thanks to the strategic cunning of Ambrosinus and the fighting skill of Aurelius and Mira, Romulus is freed. But when the group arrive on shore, they learn that the Byzantines have joined forces with the Goths. Faced with such betrayal, the only course of action is to reach the one legion still loyal to Rome - the ninth legion in Britannia.

As they set off on their dangerous trek North in search of the last legion, Romulus discovers a new father figure in his protector Aurelius and together they embark on a new beginning.

(source: DDA)

001: Colin Firth and Lenka at TTL set

Photos thanks to Septimacka

Larger images available in the "photo albums" section

(Movie)

Status: Post-production

Directed by:

Doug Lefler

Writing credits (in alphabetical order) :

David Leland screenplay

Valerio Manfredi novel

Full credits here

Country: USA / UK / France

Language: English

Color: Color

Release Dates

Filming Locations

Production Company/Company Credits

1 June 2006:

"MGM Feeds North American Theatrical Pipeline With New Titles" (Press release)

MGM Press release, 1 June, 2006, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

On tap for release in 2007 will be "The Last Legion."

"The Last Legion," based on Valerio Massimo Mandredi's novel of the same name, is an action packed adventure drama set against the fall of Rome that tells the story of its last emperor, the young Romulus Augustus, who flees the city and all that he loves: his family, his home, and an empire that once stood for truth and honor, to lead a legion of supporters on a perilous voyage to Britain. The film, adapted by David Leland, is directed by Doug Lefler, produced by Martha and Dino De Laurentiis and stars Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, James Cosmo, Rupert Friend and Iain Glen.

"We are proud to be in business with MGM and to be marketing these highly anticipated and exciting titles to audiences around the country," said Steve Bunnell, chairman of domestic distribution for The Weinstein Company.

April 2006:

Confirmed: The Last Legion has been renamed The Enchanted Sword and will be distributed by MGM for the Weinstein Company. It's possible that the name will be changed again in future!

My Firth, my last, my everything

Empire Online, 10 October 2005.

Luckily for this news piece, Colin Firth proved to be a little more loose-lipped on the subject, and The Last Legion sounds like it's a good leap away from the cosy comedy of Nanny: "This is fighting off Saxons and Goths and the menaces of the ancient world," said People magazine's Hottest Man Alive. "It's an adventure story and I think it has an intimacy about it because, unlike a lot of these things with massive battles, it's a group of stragglers, about seven people trying to survive and you get to know each other very well under those circumstances.

"We're in a bit of a father and son role there as well really," says Firth. "It's Ancient Rome you see, so I'm appointed to guard this last, child emperor at the moment where the whole thing collapses. Apparently this is true, that the Goths, when they finally did sack Rome, spared the life of the Emperor because he was so young. We don't know any more, but the writer just supposed, 'Well, what about the guy who was sworn to protect him? Is he going to carry on protecting him even though he's not the Emperor any more?' It's about that kind of relationship."

"Last Legion" begins production

Dark Horizons.com, 27 July 2005, by Garth Franklin.

Cast:

Colin Firth	Aurelius
Ben Kingsley	Abrosinus
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nonso Anozie	Batiatus
John Carrigan
James Cosmo
Rupert Friend	Demetrius
Iain Glen	Orestes
Julian Glover
John Hannah
Ferdinand Kingsley	The Druid
Murray McArthur	Tertius
Kevin McKidd	Wulfila
Ralf Moeller
Peter Mullan	Odoacer
Robert Pugh	Kustennin
Aishwarya Rai	Mira
Mark Ryan
Thomas Sangster	Romulus Augustus
Alexander Siddig
Beata Sonczuk-Ben Ammar	Flavia
Owen Teale	Vatrenus

Information courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.