Jacob Tierney is igniting a vintage friendship with a fiery touch, teaming up with Jason Bateman to craft Netflix's upcoming series, 'Alexander.' This drama delves into the bond between Alexander the Great and his mentor and philosopher, Aristotle, amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war, and relentless ambitions.
The show's behind-the-scenes crew is already a tightly-knit group, with Jacob penning the script while his 'Heated Rivalry' cohort Brendan Brady joins as an executive producer. Brendan shares producer duties with Jason and his Aggregate Films partner Michael Costigan, who have collaborated on Netflix originals like 'Ozark' and 'Black Rabbit.'
As per the streaming service, 'Alexander' is based on Annabel Lyon's 2009 book 'The Golden Mean,' which chronicles the unlikely friendship between Alexander—the former king of Macedonia in ancient Greece—and Aristotle. Their dynamic ultimately alters the course of history, and Jacob expressed his excitement to bring this dramatic tale to life on the silver screen.
"I fell in love with Annabel Lyon's book years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since," said the 46-year-old in a March 5 press release to Netflix. "Brendan and I couldn't be more thrilled to partner with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this incredibly compelling world to life."
Jinny Howe, the head of U.S. and Canada scripted series at Netflix, echoed the sentiment. "Jacob Tierney is one of the most exciting, in-demand creative voices working today, and we are thrilled to work with him on 'Alexander,'" she explained in her own statement. "This series reimagines the classic power struggle between mentor and protégé with a raw, modern energy that feels both epic and incredibly intimate."
While 'Alexander' will be Jacob and Brendan's first project at Netflix, they're already building the next installment of 'Heated Rivalry' with HBO Max. After fans fell in love with the slow-burn romance between hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) in season one, the creators offered a glimpse into season two's production timeline.
"We start shooting in August," Jacob told Gayle King on CBS Mornings last month. "We're writing it now. We're getting ready to start shooting this summer. There will be more 'Heated Rivalry' on your TVs as soon as humanly possible."
In terms of when Shane and Ilya will glide on the ice once again, a spokesperson for Crave—who partnered with the creators on the series—confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that they're "aiming for a spring 2027 premiere."
