Most Americans know the story of Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace from Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning 1995 film “Braveheart.”
Now, nearly 20 years later, Discovery Channel is dipping into a trilogy about Wallace and his fellow revolutionary Robert the Bruce by historian Nigel Tranter to develop a new, as-yet-untitled miniseries. It will be produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions, whose “The Good Wife” starts is fifth season on CBS in September.
Scott Free also produced “Klondike,” Discovery’s first original miniseries.
For those who forget the small details, Wallace’s nemesis was English king Edward I, whose reign in the north country led to a revolt in 1297.
Wallace was captured and executed in 1305, and it made him a martyr and a hero whose story has been told in prose and on film.
Robert the Bruce, known as Scotland’s “hero-king,” fought on through the reigns of Edward I and Edward II.
Despite its box-office success, “Braveheart” was a highly fictionalized account of Wallace’s life. The new Wallace series is expected to be more accurate.
A production start date or casting announcements have not yet been made.