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Rome, Sweet Rome is an online, alternative history, military science fiction short story by American freelance writer, occasional Reddit commentor, and military historian James Erwin that was originally posted onto Reddit. It describes what might happen if a US Marine expeditionary unit were somehow transported back to the time of the Roman Empire under Augustus Caesar.[1][2][3][3][4]

Background

The story was inspired by a hypothetical question Erwin had read[5] on the social news website Reddit about whether or not a modern U.S. Marine battalion could wipe out the entire Roman empire. Erwin, an author from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and two time Jeopardy champion,[6] responded to the question by offering online a short fiction account about how a unit of Marines accidentally traveled back in time and ended up battling with Roman legions during the reign of Augustus. Respondents to his post dubbed his story Rome, Sweet Rome and "demanded" more details. Erwin acceded to their wishes and expanded on his original story, and with input from other Reddit users, eventually completed a short story.[7][8] A growing fan base mocked up book covers, movie posters, and posted related music videos to YouTube.[3][4][6][9]

Update: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118064641/

Plot

The story is a fictional account of what might happen were a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of 2,200 men to be somehow transported through time from their base in modern-day Kabul, Afghanistan to the time of the Roman Empire when being ruled by Augustus Caesar, appearing near the Tiber River in 23 B.C. with their full allotment of equipment - M1 Abrams battle tanks, bulletproof vests, M249 SAW light machine guns, M16A4 rifles, and grenades, but with no way to resupply with fuel or ammunition when depleted.[8]

Plot analysis

Popular Mechanics spoke with Erwin about his story concept of a modern Marine unit confronting the Roman Legion in battle, and then discussed the concept with Adrian Goldsworthy, an expert on Roman history. In comparing a Marine Mechanized Infantry Unit, typically containing about 2200 troops, along with associated artillery and vehicles, to that of the Roman legions, which at that time consisted of nearly 330,000 men armored in either heavy leather or in metal, carrying swords and javelins as weapons, and operating catapults and crossbows as their long distance weapons, Goldsworthy stated "Obviously, there is a massive difference in firepower," noting that Roman armor would be useless against rifle rounds and grenades. He expanded that while Marines would begin with a huge advantage, their inability to be resupplied as they depleted their ammunition and fuel would result, after a few days of devastation on the part of the Marines, into a complete reversal of fortune. The original advantage of superior technology would vanish and the Marines would then have to deal with a massively superior opposing force after themselves being reduced to that force's level of weapon technology. Goldsworthy concluded in his analysis, that without resupply and in lacking access to modern navigation aids such as GPS, the Marines would lose over the long term. He granted though, that modern knowledge of strategy and tactics could allow a knowledgeable, mobile and quickly-moving Marine force to "destabilize the Roman Empire, encourage civil war, and initiate regional fracturing." But because of their lacking the necessary manpower, the Marines could not expect to "control Rome itself—with a population of a million or so—let alone the wider empire."[3]

Adaptation

Among those who read the story online was Adam Kolbrenner of Beverly Hills-based production company Madhouse Entertainment. Liking the story concept, he made a deal to represent Erwin and then optioned the movie rights to Warner Bros. Erwin is writing the screenplay. Gianni Nunnari, producer of 300 and Immortals, has been announced as co-producer of the project.[6][4][7]

The film is to be produced by Kolbrenner and Gianni Nunnari ("Immortals") of Hollywood Gang, with Robyn Meisinger as executive producer. John Ridley, also of Hollywood Gang, is slated to oversee the project for the company.[7]

Licensing Issues

Techdirt reported that due to Reddit's licensing terms, Erwin may not have had full ownership of the story he wrote, and may not have been able to fully transfer those rights to Warner Brothers.[2] Concerns were raised due to Erwin's creation of the story in the Reddit forums occurring with and through participation and input from other Reddit users. The issues then became those of whether or not Erwin actually had the right to grant exclusivity to Warner, and that Reddit itself may own rights to those portions of the story created and shared on their website. While the concept of modern military forces involving themselves in conflicts with less advanced cultures is a common theme in science fiction, in order to claim exclusivity, Erwin may be required to rewrite the story to remove those portions created through input of Reddit users.[2][10][11]

Reddit have since made a statement that the licensing terms are there to protect them from potential legal action and that they do not intend to block the production of the movie.[12]

References

  1. ^ ""Lunch Break Lark Leads to Movie Deal"". Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Masnick, Mike (October 20, 2011). "Could Reddit Make Its Own 'Rome, Sweet Rome' And Compete With Warner Bros.?". Techdirt. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Sheppard, Alyson (October 31, 2011). "Rome, Sweet Rome: Could a Single Marine Unit Destroy the Roman Empire?". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Phillips, Jack (October 17, 2011,). "Social Cinema: Reddit Post Catches Hollywood's Attention". Time Magazine. Retrieved November 27, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  5. ^ ""Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU?"". Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Finney, Daniel P. (November 5, 2011). "Lunch break lark leads to movie deal". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Gardner, Jeffe Sneider, Dave McNary (October 13, 2011). "Warners nabs 'Rome, Sweet Rome'". Variety. Retrieved November 27, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Frappier, Rob (September 8, 2011). "'Rome Sweet Rome' Writer James Erwin Talks Internet Fame & Movie Plans". screenrant.com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  9. ^ Darbyshire, Peter (October 16, 2011,). "Rome, Sweet Rome gets a movie deal: Internet phenomenon may be next blockbuster". The Province. Retrieved November 27, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  10. ^ Solish, Nickolas (September 8, 2011). "Conquering Rome: Is 'Rome Sweet Rome' owned by the Internet?". Los Angeles Daily Journal. lawoftomorrow.com. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  11. ^ Gardner, Eriq (October 20, 2011). "Does Warner Bros. Really Have Exclusive Movie Rights to a Story Posted on Reddit? (Analysis)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  12. ^ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ljf4e/dear_reddit_i_do_not_think_that_ideas_that_are/c2t6wcp
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