The Rise of Caesar

The Rise of Caesar, is a historical film based on the early life of the Roman dictator, Gaius Julius Caesar. It is the first film in the Ancient World Cinematic Universe (AWCU). The film takes place between 91 and 60 BC. It is centered around Caesar's early military career and the formation of the First Triumvirate.

The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Pierce Brosnan, Greg Vaughan, Florence Pugh, and Lorenzo Richelmy. Like the rest of the ARCU, the film is mostly historically accurate, with some minor adjustments in order to make it cinematic.

Plot
The film starts with a twenty-six year-old Gaius Julius Caesar (Timothée Chalamet) who is a captive of Cilician pirates, who are demanding a ransom. He is knocked unconscious and the movie flashes back to his early years as a sixteen-year-old who is comforted by his mother, Aurelia Cotta (Lyne Renee), after the death of his father. He is visited by his uncle Gaius Marius (Pierce Brosnan), the great Roman leader. He gives him a motivational talk about his duty within the Republic and how he can become a major proponent inside Rome.

Marius, a staunch populist, is opposed by his former protege, Sulla (Alessio Boni) during the Roman Social War. Sulla returned to Rome after a war campaign against Mithridates VI of Pontus, seeking vengeance, because Marius tried to avoid Sulla getting the command over the legions against Mithridates. Sulla marches against Rome and his legions take the city. Marius is killed. Sulla becomes dictator of Rome and targets all of Marius' allies to be eliminated (Cinna, the general of Marius; Marius the Younger, son of Marius...), including young Caesar. Caesar is on the run and chased by Sulla's men. After his capture, Sulla tries to force him to divorce from his wife Pompeia (Florence Pugh), but he faces him and denies his order. He is freed after an intervention from Aurelia and the Vestal Virgins. Sulla reluctantly let him go, saying he saw "many a Marius in Caesar".

The film returns to the present, and Caesar gains the confidence to not worry about the pirates. He even goes so far as to mock the pirates. Caesar gains the ransom needed and pays off the pirates.

Another flashback involves a montage of Caesar fighting in a new war against Mithridates in Asia. His friend, Titus Labienus (Lorenzo Richelmy), saves his life during combat in the siege of Mytilene. Caesar returns to Rome after the death of Sulla, feeling safe, and studies under the legendary Molo of Rhodes (Haluk Bilginer), the legendary teacher who taught Marcus Cicero (Greg Vaughan). Caesar becomes a successful orator and auspicious politician, and begins a trip across the Aegean Sea, before being overwhelmed by pirates in Farmacusa Island.

Back to the present, after being released from the pirates, Caesar, now more powerful, organizes a naval expedition in Mileto and finds the pirates that took him captive earlier and kills them in Pergamum.

The triumph over the pirates brings glory and popularity to Caesar and he uses it to move up the political ladder quickly, along with his friend, Labienus. His political enemy is Marcus Bibulus (Mariano di Vaio), a member of the Optimates, which is led by Cato the Younger (Ian Somerhalder) who thinks that if Caesar gets power he will destroy the Republic. Caesar gets into some trouble during the Catiline Conspiracy, and is accused by Cato of involvement. Caesar is cleared thanks to intervention of Cicero, who unmasks Catiline and the other conspirators. Cato and Bibulus regret the lost opportunity to get rid of Caesar, recognizing that he is becoming a threat to the Optimates and their vision of the Republic.

Caesar is named governor of Hispania Ulterior. As governor, he defeats a Celtic tribe in northern Lusitania and becomes a well-liked governor. He is inspired by dreams from the late Marius and rises to prominence. While waiting for a boat at the port of Gades to return to Rome, he encounters the statue of Alexander the Great in the temple of Hercules Gaditana and becomes determined to be a great man like him, while being a voice for the people, like Marius. He ultimately wants to be a consul one day.

On his return to Rome, he expects a triumph celebration (a highly-esteemed honor for a Roman), but also wants to become consul. Due to some political trickery by the Optimates, seeing him as too ambitious and a danger to the republic, he is unable to receive the triumph and become consul. In a tough decision, in which he is helped by Marius in a dream, Caesar decides to forego the triumph. He forms an alliance with Marcus Crassus (Tommy Flanagan) and Pompey (Logan Lerman). Thanks to this maneuver, he becomes consul thanks to Bibulus, who becomes the second consul.

Cast

 * Timothée Chalamet as Julius Caesar
 * Lorenzo Richelmy as Titus Labienus
 * Greg Vaughan as Marcus Cicero
 * Pierce Brosnan as Gaius Marius
 * Florence Pugh as Pompeia
 * Mariano Di Vaio as Marcus Bibulus
 * Ian Somerhalder as Cato the Younger
 * Alessio Boni as Lucius Sulla
 * Raquel Castro as Cornelia
 * Tommy Flanagan as Marcus Crassus
 * Lyne Renee as Aurelia Cotta
 * Haluk Bilginer as Apollonius Molon
 * Henry Cavill as Catiline

The Rise of Caesar | The Conquest of Caesar →