#Netflix's Alexander

[jeannereames]

Is it truly possible to ever make a psychological character study movie of Alexander?

The Problem with Alexander the Great in Media

Oliver Stone tried. His "Alexander" was intended to be just that: a psychological biopic. Unfortunately, it was, narratively, a mess. Why, I tackled in a review elsewhere.

As for making a new one, the biggest hurdle would be that nothing anyone did would please a large enough group of people.

Why? There's a huge amount of disagreement about what Alexander was actually like.

That is, ironically, what made me want to write about him. 🤣 The first two biographies I read painted vastly different pictures. I thought, Who was this guy?

So whatever tack one took, people would be angry over the result. That's just the nature of Alexander.

I've experienced a bit of that with my own novel (which is more psychological than adventure), and it's only a little boutique-press publication without anywhere near the 👀 a movie or TV show would get.

Then we have the problem of scale. Stone's flick took a ton of money. I mean a ton. $155 million...in early 2000. It made only $165 million, which makes it a financial failure even though the costuming and sets were better than most documentaries. So how does one get funding to make something that sprawling, when one knows it'll probably piss off around half the audience simply by the necessary choices one would have to make?

For instance: Was he a mama's boy with a bad dye-job (as Stone's Alexander was characterized by one film reviewer)? Or was he a macho-man soldier with No Fear? Or a genocidal megalomaniac? Or an early proponent of One World ideals? Or a queer icon with a chivalrous streak towards women?

Pick one, and you'll annoy at least one sizable contingent of potential viewers.

That doesn't count the history purists who expect a film or documentary to include Every Little Detail (which really would flop!).

You just can't win.

I think if one were to try to do (another) biopic about ATG, it would be smart to lean into whatever storyline one chose, and know it's going to upset some viewers.

(Like Netflix's choice to have Alexander and Hephaistion kiss in the first scene of the miniseries, or to make Statiera his lover [as she probably actually was] ... as opposed to the fairly milquetoast History Channel's "Ancient Empires: Alexander." Oh, I betcha already forgot that came out only about 4 months before the Netflix one. It made no real statement, so won no real attention.)

Own it...or don't do it.

[mndvx]

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thesandmanofficial The Endless have finally assembled: Introducing Adrian Lester as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium and Barry Sloane as the Prodigal in the next season of THE SANDMAN. It’s going to be one Hell of a family reunion.

[havranil]

Desire from the upcoming season of the Sandman

[lenreli]

The Endless Siblings

[mysharona1987]

Imagine being so dumb the Qanon Shaman is correcting you about misinterpreting history.

[askarsjustsoswedish]

Alexander Skarsgård and Omar Sy Co-presented the SAG Award for Female Actor Drama Series on 24 February 2024.  Netflix Live.

[lukasadss]

Having feelings about Desire's dinner outfit to say the least

[inprnt | RB]

[six-demon-bag]

LUKAS GAGE as The Cat King DEAD BOY DETECTIVES (2024)

MASON ALEXANDER PARK as Desire the Endless THE SANDMAN (2022-)

[aunt-booty]

Holy fuck, i am so happy rn

[isabellaofparma]

jealous hephaestion in the golden empire

[myimaginarymary]

I’m waiting for certain fandoms to realize that these two men are based on the same historical person.

And that is this man.

Or is it known but just ignored?

AKA — One interpretation made him sexy. The other Jonathan Groffed him/Lin Manueled (Man-uel Handled???) him.

[purple-afternoon]

but he wants to pair with jude :(

[ikethetimidbean]

The Sandman 

 This thread of illustrations are dedicated to Neil Gaiman and to everyone, who has created a beautiful, terrifying yet intimate world with so much passion and love. I’m not good with words, so I hope this will convey how much I am thankful to you all. 

[desireoftheendlesss]

There’s lots of Cabaret emcee discourse out there right now and I just wanted to add Mason Alexander Park back into the picture in case anyone wants to add them into those compilations on Tik tok 😂🔥 #cabaret #emcee #masonalexanderpark #broadway #westend #wilkommen #slimeturorial

[writing-for-life]

Can’t find these news anywhere else yet, but both Mason Alexander Park and Donna Preston have posted on Instagram that they have wrapped. That makes three (after Melissanthi already posting earlier).

[strategist-scientia]

Hephaestion must be rolling in his 2,348-year-old grave knowing that he's the cause of homophobic dudebros crying on twitter rn 🤭