Epic Heroes on Screen

Abstract

This is the first collection to look at the most recent manifestations of the ancient hero on screen. This volume written by scholars in the flourishing field of reception studies, enters the conversation at an active point in the history of the ancients on screen, when new ancients commonly arrive multiple times per year. It brings together an array of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of ancient world heroes and antiheroes –- from the mythical Hercules in various forms to famous leaders of the Greek and Roman worlds. Films and television series examined range from Hercules and The Legend of Hercules to Atlantis and Supernatural, as well as other biopic works influenced by the figure of the ancient hero. Using diverse critical practices, the authors question what it means to be an ancient hero on the screens of the twenty-first century. The volume includes an introduction and fourteen chapters that explore the complicated nature of the ancient hero (and the antihero) and the ways these figures are (re) invented on screen in recent works.