What the Heck is HBO Max?
Good question. HBO Max is the (probably) hotter cousin to HBO, full of original content and maybe some live stuff and sports, but we haven’t seen it since it was sort of HBO Now, so no one really knows if it’s growing up to be HOTTTT or not. And so far, HBO Max hasn’t strayed too far into this particular type of genre with its content announcements.
Sure they have the Gossip Girl reboot, and Dune: The Sisterhood and the much-anticipated Station Eleven, but Circe will be their first foray in fantasy, a genre that parent/cousin/sister HBO has ruled for over a decade with Game of Thrones. They’ve described the series as a “a modern take on the world of Greek mythology told from the powerful feminist perspective of the goddess Circe, who transforms from an awkward nymph to a formidable witch, able to challenge gods, titans and monsters alike.” If you’re like me, hearing HBO take on Greek mythology forces out a cry of “FINALLY!” (Seriously. Imagine me screaming into the heavens YESSSSSS FINALLYYYYYY. I like myth).
What We Know about Circe
The eight-episode straight-to-series order is being written by the feature film team writers, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, who helmed the Planet of the Apes franchise and Jurassic World. If those movies are anything to go by, I think they understand monsters from the deep at the very least. They are also the duo who co-wrote the new live-action Mulan, which we are already enamored with if the trailer is anything to go by.
“Circe tells an epic story of love, loss, tragedy and immortal conflict, all through the eyes of a fierce female lens,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “I’ve been a longtime fan of Rick and Amanda’s work and their ability to simultaneously build epic imaginative worlds while creating emotional dynamic characters. In partnership with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping, we have the dream team to bring Circe to life.”
Readers of the novel know the immersive experience of being inside Circe’s head and of relating to her powerful transformation over the eons. The book is very … female and feminist. While Circe longs for her father’s approval and for Odysseus’ love, it is her battles within herself and with her fellow goddesses that dig the deep emotional trenches of her story.
What We Hope for with Circe
I have no doubt that this show will be visually stunning. Mediterranean seascapes and storms and rocky outcroppings and underwater nymph lairs and the labyrinth! It’s going to be gorgeous.
But I cannot wait for the cast. If there has ever been a need for the hottest people on the planet to look their absolute hottest, it’s this story. Pasiphae, the mother of the Minotaur and Circe’s older sister. Selene, Circe’s aunt, and the all-important Moon goddess. Athena in one of the only scenarios where she is rendered impotent. Hermes, at his tricksiest. A super-hot, craftsman version of Daedelus. And one of the most richly drawn portrayals of Odysseus that I have ever read.
The only other thing I need is for HBO Max to announce that they are ALSO making Miller’s debut novel, The Song of Achilles, so we can GET ALL THAT HOTNESS AS WELL.
Keep an eye on That’s Normal for all the news coming out about Circe and HBO Max. We can’t wait to spend all our monies in the 2020’s on streaming premium content straight into our eyeballs.
