SEVERUS: The Black Caesar

The first black man to set foot on British soil came not as a slave, but as the most powerful man in the ancient world.

Severus follows the amazing true story of a rebellious boy who grew up in an African province and became the Black Caesar of the Roman Empire, the head of a dynasty that would lead Rome through bloody civil wars and a changing world. Think Vikings meets The Tudors. There is old world magic and tradition clashing with new world expectations. Severus has political intrigue, romance and familial drama.

As a young man, Severus hates the Romans and conspires to humiliate them. What begins as a childish prank unfurls into a bloodbath that sends Severus careening into his future. Through a tragic love, dangerously close battles and threats both internal and external, Severus accrues power - and enemies - in his unlikely rise to become the most powerful man in the world.

Treachery from his advisors and his own wife gets closer every day and his son emerges as a ruthless and disturbed Emperor-in-waiting.

Even in its ancient setting, the show addresses timely questions of home, family and parenting, immigration and assimilation. What has one abandoned when he fights against something he used to believe in? Is it growth? Is it betrayal? Who gets to rule and what makes him a good leader? There is also the eternal, unanswered question: is history always doomed to repeat itself?

Major Characters

Septimius Severus- The Black Caesar. He grows from a boy who is prideful and naive to a man who understands the world. He is a man who tries to remain loyal to his principles, but often creates situations where he must make impossible choices. He is stubborn and often struggles to find his place in the Empire, but is also kind and reasonable. He is outspoken in what he believes, sometimes to his own detriment.

Julia Domna- A priestess who entraps Severus. She gives birth to both of his children and claims to love him, but works completely under her own auspices. She is alluring and mysterious, but also strong-willed and powerful.

Marcus Aurelius- An Emperor of reason who teaches Severus what he knows. He believes deeply that the wise should rule the foolish and imparts that on Severus before his death.

Commodus- The despotic son of Marcus Aurelius. He embraces the power he believes is his birthright and possesses psychotic, cruel tendencies.

Caracalla- The older son of Severus and Julia. Called Lucius as a child, he changes his name and aims to distance himself from his father, whom he says is not his real father. Much like Commodus, he has a dark and brutal nature.