In a story from The Hollywood Reporter, Showtime has placed a 13-episode order for The Borgias.

Jeremy Irons will headline this new historical drama which is his first full-time TV series role.

The Borgias takes place in Italy in 1492 and is centered around a powerful crime family that is headed by patriarch Rodrigo Borgia (Irons).

"I can guarantee you've never seen a family quite like this before, and nor could you make up the outrageous twists and turns of their epic saga," stated Robert Greenblatt, Showtime entertainment president.

Michael Hirst, who has written every episode of The Tudors is going to run the project. It originated at DreamWorks TV and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers. Neil Jordan is executive producing and will direct the first two episodes.

Production is set to start in the spring for an early 2011 run.