Jacob Tierney, the creator and showrunner of gay hockey romcom ‘Heated Rivalry’, is set to take on the story of Alexander the Great and his tutor Aristotle in Netflix’s upcoming series ‘Alexander’.
Tierney will write, direct and executive produce the period piece, according to Netflix.
Alongside him as executive producers (EPs) are Michael Costigan and Jason Bateman of Aggregate Films, and Brendan Brady, who is also an EP for ‘Heated Rivalry’ and Tierney’s co-founder of Accent Aigu Entertainment.
From romcom to historical epic
Netflix’s ‘Alexander’ “begins as the Athenian empire is crumbling and the world’s greatest mind, Aristotle, arrives in Macedonia to tutor a volatile young prince, Alexander.
“Amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war and ruthless ambitions, their unlikely friendship shapes an empire and alters the course of history.”
The series is based on Annabel Lyon’s 2009 historical fiction novel ‘The Golden Mean’, which has won several accolades, including the Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.
“I fell in love with Annabel Lyon’s book The Golden Mean years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since,” the Canadian director said in a statement with Netflix.
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A decade-long journey
Tierney, in fact, secured the rights for ‘The Golden Mean’ well before he made ‘Heated Rivalry’.
While uncertain about the exact year, Lyon told The Globe and Mail after Netflix’s announcement that the earliest e-mail correspondence she could find with Tierney about the book was from 2016.
She added that she remembers Tierney approaching her with scripts he had written without a contract or payment.
“I never really considered going with anybody else. I trusted his vision for it,” said Lyon.
A decade later and after several ups and downs, Tierney has finally landed his long-sought opportunity.
“Brendan and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life,” said Tierney.
According to Jinny Howe, head of Netflix’s US and Canada scripted series, ‘Alexander’ “reimagines the classic power struggle between mentor and protégé with a raw, modern energy that feels both epic and incredibly intimate.”
Howe added that she expects the “high-stakes drama” to “deeply resonate” with the streaming platform’s global audience.
The real history behind Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great came to power as king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon in 336 BC at the age of 20 after his father, Philip II, was assassinated.
With his extensive political and military training, Alexander established one of the world’s largest empires, spanning from Greece to India.
Alexander’s father personally chose the Greek scholar to become his son’s tutor when Alexander was 13.
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Shameeka Voyiya 
KC Maderia 
Newsjustnews writers