Hannibal: The Sequel

I got an interesting response from a reader on my "Hannibal" post:

Wonder if they will include the part about him dying as an obscure forgotten mercernary in Asia Minor somewhere. Regnery press published a not bad historical novel which was OK (I have no idea if it's accurate)--its told through a sort of "fair & balanced" lens rather than the "politically correct" slant. Hogwash from a different perspective, maybe.

Here's my response:

Such a film should concentrate on the most important parts of a life. I don't care if it has a happy ending--in fact, it almost certainly should end in Hannibal's defeat. Nevertheless, Hannibal's sad final years would probably be anticlimactic.

I could see a prologue with Hannibal as a child begging his father to go to war, and being required to swear he'd fight Rome all his life.

Flash forward to a young adult Hannibal, already a great commander, with his troops in Spain. He makes the brave, unexpected choice to cross the Pyrenees and get to Italy, taking on the Romans where they live.

There'd be a long section showing the tremendous hardships he faced as he traveled through Gaul and northern Italy.

Already an amazing story, we'd have to take him through the battles of Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae. No Hollywood compression here--each is a major set piece.

Then trouble sets in as he can't or won't attack Rome. He's forced to return to Carthage, where he loses at Zama to Scipio Africanus, whose father he had previously defeated.

His later years aren't as interesting, though perhaps we could have an epilogue, much later, where he commits suicide rather than surrender.