When contemplating who might play an historical Roman thinker, few nice actors come to thoughts extra shortly than John Malkovich. He has the power to simply slide into regal, cautious, typically pompous, typically painfully self-aware performances befitting of archaic geniuses. From the trailer and pictures, it seems to be like he is bringing all that to his portrayal of the eponymous stoic within the movie Seneca (also referred to as Seneca: On the Creation of Earthquakes). Freestyle Digital Media, the digital movie distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, acquired the VOD rights to the historic drama, additionally that includes Geraldine Chaplin and Tom Xander. Whereas it was filmed years in the past, it’ll lastly be accessible in North America on digital platforms, cable, and satellite tv for pc platforms, in addition to on DVD, beginning April 8, 2025. Watch the trailer under:
Seneca additionally stars Tom Xander (‘Nero’), Geraldine Chaplin (‘Cecelia’), Mary-Louise Parker (‘Agrippina’), and the late, nice Julian Sands (‘Rufus’), who went lacking and was declared lifeless initially of 2023. The synopsis reads as follows:
“The yr is 65 AD in Rome. The thinker Seneca has been Emperor Nero‘s mentor and shut advisor since childhood, and has been considerably concerned in his ascent. However, Nero grows weary of Seneca and makes use of a foiled assault on his life to falsely accuse Seneca of being an confederate.”
“While throwing a decadent social gathering at his farmhouse, Seneca receives his shocking loss of life sentence from Emperor Nero, delivered by a messenger. He have to be lifeless by morning. This final evening turns into his closing take a look at: Who’s he actually? An opportunist, hypocrite, and collaborator? Or, in line with his self-image, a morally upright clever man capable of look loss of life within the face with out concern? The script is predicated on historic sources and Seneca‘s authentic texts.”
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Whereas Seneca would not seem to be an edge-of-year-seat motion film, it’s helmed by a filmmaker with some bona fide motion credit to his identify. Robert Schwentke directed the star-studded Purple with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Karl City, and, sure, John Malkovich again in 2010. He additionally directed the big-budget action-fantasy movie R.I.P.D. with Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, and Mary-Louise Parker (additionally from Purple). Schwentke then directed an entry within the Divergent sequence, Rebel, with Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Theo James. Schwentke wrote the movie with Matthew David Wilder. Seneca was produced by Frieder Schlaich and Irene von Alberti. Schwentke stated this about his movie:
Seneca is an train in excessive camp. The anachronistically advised story of a thinker and life-style coach who helps the tyrant Nero to achieve legitimacy in trade for immeasurable wealth. It’s a tragic farce a couple of man‘s unsuccessful try to realize immortality by way of language and concepts to show together with his finish: he didn‘t simply speak the speak, however he walked the stroll.
Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the deal to amass SENECA straight with the filmmakers and Image Tree Worldwide GmbH.
Seneca the Stoic
For higher or worse, Seneca has grow to be more and more common over the previous century, together with his philosophy of stoicism being adopted (and butchered and misinterpreted) by completely different subsets of conceited males (the type who learn The Artwork of Battle and who repress each emotion). That is unlucky, as a result of Seneca was actually sensible, a type of predecessor to Kierkegaard’s ethical philosophy. Seneca’s work additionally intersected with Buddhism and Confucianism in fascinating methods. Yow will discover a few of our favourite Seneca quotes under (and would suggest the temporary however sensible textual content, On the Shortness of Life).
“There may be nothing the busy man is much less busied with than dwelling: there may be nothing that’s tougher to be taught. Of the opposite arts there are numerous academics in all places; a few of them now we have seen that mere boys have mastered so totally that they may even play the grasp. It takes the entire of life to learn to reside, and—what’s going to maybe make you marvel extra—it takes the entire of life to learn to die.”
What man are you able to present me who locations any worth on his time, who reckons the value of every day, who understands that he’s dying every day?
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“I’ll grow to be a poor man; I shall then be one amongst many. I could also be exiled; I shall then regard myself as born within the place to which I shall be despatched. They could put me in chains. What then? Am I free from bonds now? Behold this clogging burden of a physique, to which nature has fettered me! ‘I shall die,’ you say; you imply to say, ‘I shall stop to run the danger of illness; I shall stop to run the danger of imprisonment; I shall stop to run the danger of loss of life.'”
Seneca will likely be accessible to lease/personal on all North American digital HD web, cable, and satellite tv for pc platforms, in addition to on DVD, beginning April 8, 2025.