'The Romanoffs': Details Revealed for 'Mad Men' Creator's Amazon Series
Matthew Weiner is returning to the small screen with an exciting project at Amazon. And for it, he's called in plenty of alumni from his Mad Men days to fill out the writers room for the ambitious new series, The Romanoffs.
The show will consist of eight hour-long episodes telling standalone stories each with no recurring plot elements or actors. The only common thread connecting the episodes will be the stories of people in contemporary times who believe they are descendants of the imperial family that rule Russia from 1613 until the Bolsheiks seized power in 1917.
“We’re at a place in our history where people are looking for a close connection to their roots, and for some kind of revelation about who they are,” Weiner told Variety. “There’s great debate about who is a Romanoff and what happened to the Romanoffs. The story for me is that we’re all questioning who we are and who we say we are.”
Weiner intends on directing four of the eight episodes, some of which to be filmed overseas. He will seek out starring Mad Men actors for roles, as well as other notable actors. There's a good chance for some high-profile guests, given that each character is around for one episode only.
“Amazon reminded me of AMC in the beginning,” Weiner said. “Roy has no fear of gaming the marketplace. He’s not risk-averse.” The series is budgeted at around $50 million. “I liked the idea of telling a story in a format where you don’t have the serial element – you have to commit to a resolution,” he said. “The escalation has to happen within the story — nothing is carried over from one episode to another. As a writer, that’s an exciting idea.”
The most significant comparison to make, and one Weiner makes too, is to Netflix's Black Mirror. Though different genres, that too features an original story every episode with new stars, and has seen the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard guest for episodes.
“The rise of (Netflix’s) ‘Black Mirror’ made it easier for me to explain it, even though this show is not in that genre,” he said. He's aiming for an arrival on the streamer by next spring. His first novel, Heather, the Totality, hits shelves this fall.
