Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange were photographed alongside model Raz Degan on the set of "Titus" at Villa Adriana in Rome on 28 October 1998. Hopkins had been cast in the title role, with Lange as Tamora and Degan as Alarbus, in Julie Taymor's adaptation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.
The production began shooting in Rome that autumn as planned, backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen's Clear Blue Sky Productions alongside the UK's N.D.F. International. It stood as a co-production between Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Alan Cumming joined the cast as Saturninus, stepping away from his stage commitments in Cabaret to fly to Rome for the role. Behind the camera, the film brought together production designer Dante Ferretti, costume designer Milena Canonera and composer Elliot Goldenthal.
