Mel Gibson to produce Alexander the Great miniseries for HBO

Mel Gibson's Icon Productions will produce a 10-part miniseries about Macedonian king Alexander the Great for HBO, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and the show will address all of Alexander's life, including his homosexuality. The HBO project will be based on Mary Renault's gay-inclusive historical novels Fire From Heaven and The Persian Boy, and the network says that the budget for the series will approach the $125 million spent on Band of Brothers. Alexander has become a favorite subject for filmmakers--Martin Scorsese is in preproduction on a film biography to star Leonardo DiCaprio, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie plans to direct a separate Alexander project.