Do you remember the Attila the Hun television miniseries from 2001 starring Gerard Butler as the famous conquering Eurasian nomad? Neither does anybody else. Before that, the last time the infamous historical figure made his way onscreen was Anthony Quinn's portrayal of him alongside Sophia Loren in the 1954 film Attila from Pietro Francisci. It's odd that such a well known real world ruler has rarely been tapped as inspiration for adaptation, so it should come as no surprise that a biographical film about him is finally going into development.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is going ahead with newcomer Nicholas Schoenfeld's pitch for a film tentatively titled Attila that would follow the conquerer's 'formative years' as the leader of the Huns. Deadline says that the tone resembles 'the good-man-gone-bad' arc of Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama's Dracula Year Zero. I'm not sure that's a comparison I'd be boasting about. Anyway, everyone has heard the name but for non history majors, the actual story of Attila the Hun may not be as familiar. Attila ruled the Huns from 434 to 453 and during that time, the man with unknown origins, sacked, conquered and pillaged a large portion of Eurasia. He was a formidable and constant annoyance of the Roman Empire (in the East and West) as well as the Visigoth's and just about anyone he saw fit to attack. Attila is regarded as one of history's most monstrous figures and should prove a juicy role (but tell that to Colin Farrell, yes an Alexander reference).
Whichever star they cast for Attila (probably some white dude even though it's commonly accepted that the real man would have had Asian features), it will be the first of a few possible projects for Nicholas Schoenfeld and Warner Bros. After selling his pitch for Attila, the writer is developing two more projects at the studio with producers David Heyman and Basil Iwanyk. And these are on top of his adaptation or reinterpretation of Macbeth called Lady of Blood and Fury (originally The Scottish Lady) which is being backed by producer Mary Parent. Not a bad start for young writer and recent graduate, Nicholas Schoenfeld and, for all our sake, I hope Attila turns out better than Dracula Year Zero. Next up, finding a director and casting the conquerer. Thoughts?
