Sky Domina drama delivers female view

Historical drama series Domina

European satcaster Sky has commissioned historical drama series Domina from Endemol Shine-owned Fifty Fathoms and its own nascent Sky Studios arm.

The 10-part drama follows the life of Livia Drusilla – one of the most powerful women in Ancient Rome and daughter of murdered emperor Julius Caesar. Domina tells Livia’s journey from a naive young girl to Rome’s most influential empress, driven by the desire to avenge her father.

The series is produced by Fifty Fathoms and Sky Studios, and is created and written by Simon Burke. Claire McCarthy is directing the project and also serves as executive producer alongside Burke, Patrick Spence, Marcus Wilson and Faye Dorn, with John Phillips producing.

Filming started this week in Rome.

Nicola Maccanico, executive VP of programming at Sky Italia, said: “Domina is an international production and we are very proud of its strong Italian roots. It is a great epic drama that brings to life Ancient Rome again but from a different perspective – that of the women – and reshapes our view of them. They are the masters of their fate and fiercely pursue their ambitions and ultimately, the conquest of power.”

Domina will air exclusively in all Sky territories in Italy, the UK, Ireland and Germany. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will handle the international rights outside those territories having subsumed the Sky Vision distribution business earlier this year as part of Comcast’s takeover of the satcaster.

The series is the latest in a string of original commissions from Sky. The company recently committed to more than doubling its investment in original content through Sky Studios, which it launched in the summer led by Gary Davey.