Memoirs of Hadrian

The novel Memoirs of Hadrian, by Marguerite Yourcenar, is being adapted for the big screen by British director John Boorman.Variety: John Boorman Revives Hadrian Film (July 28, 2008) The film explores the life of the Roman emperor Hadrian.

Hadrian was born in 76 AD. Following the death of his uncle Trajan in 117 AD, Hadrian became the emperor of Rome. To supervise his empire, he traveled extensively to Britain, Spain, Germany, North Africa, Syria, Arabia, Greece and Egypt.Britannica: Hadrian He was instrumental in the construction of a 73-mile border wall in Britain and the rebuilding of the Pantheon. He married his third-cousin, Vibia Sabina, but loved a boy named Antinous.Guardian.co.uk: The cult of Hadrian (July 20, 2008)

"The project says so much about the nature of empire, leadership and human aspiration. The time of Hadrian marked both the height of the Roman empire and the beginning of its decline. It's the irony of his rule."Variety: John Boorman Revives Hadrian Film (July 28, 2008)

"Hadrian was a real visionary. We will be telling an intimate story and a broad, epic story. He managed to consolidate the empire, but in doing so he sowed the seeds of its ruin. His armies began to soften."Guardian.co.uk: The cult of Hadrian (July 20, 2008)