The period piece will explore the little-known story of Alexander the Great and his tutor, Aristotle. The drama begins as the Athenian empire is crumbling and the world's greatest mind, Aristotle, arrives in Macedonia to tutor a volatile young prince, Alexander. Amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war and ruthless ambitions, their unlikely friendship shapes an empire and alters the course of history.
In its press release, Netflix provided a quick history lesson: Alexander the Great, son of King Philip II of Macedon and Queen Olympias, used his charisma and ruthless military tactics to conquer the largest empire the world had ever seen. He managed to overtake Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt without any defeats and, as ruler of Macedonia, founded over 70 cities while spanning his influence across three continents.
Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan and Brendan Brady will also executive produce alongside Tierney. Aggregate Films and Accent Aigu Entertainment will produce.
"I fell in love with Annabel Lyon's book 'The Golden Mean' years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since," said Tierney. "Brendan and I couldn't be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life."
"Jacob Tierney is one of the most exciting, in-demand creative voices working today, and we are thrilled to work with him on Alexander," added Jinny Howe, Head of US and Canada Scripted Series, Netflix. "We were immediately captivated by his vision for adapting Annabel Lyon's acclaimed novel. This series reimagines the classic power struggle between mentor and protégé with a raw, modern energy that feels both epic and incredibly intimate. This high-stakes drama is poised to deeply resonate with our global audience, and we look forward to bringing it to life with the deftly talented Jason Bateman and the Aggregate Films team."
