Penthouse's 'Caligula' Restoration Unveils Never-Before-Seen Photos

Penthouse's 'Caligula' Restoration Unveils Never-Before-Seen Photos

LOS ANGELES — A new photobook with never-before-seen stills and BTS material from the epic erotic 1970s super-production “Caligula” will be released by the Century Guild as part of a collaboration with Penthouse to completely re-imagine the cult period film.

As XBIZ reported in 2020 on the occasion of the project’s kickoff at the LA Art Show, there will also be an upcoming full restoration of the film. The ambitious project, dubbed "Caligula MMXX," is currently being assembled by the Century Guild’s Thomas Negovan and director E. Elias Merhige, the enigmatic auteur behind the "Nosferatu"-inspired 2000 cult drama, "Shadow of the Vampire.”

The upcoming restoration and the photobook, which is being pre-sold via Kickstarter, were the subject of a lengthy interview with Negovan published yesterday by leading horror and cult film publication Fangoria.

The new photos taken on the Rome set are the work of renowned photographer Mario Tursi, who created some of the iconic stills for a who's-who of 1970s Italian arthouse directors, including Visconti, Pasolini and Cavani.

Negovan described the surprise of Penthouse’s new owners a few years ago, when they realized they had also purchased a warehouse that housed all of the surviving material from the beleaguered “Caligula” production.

“It was like the ending of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,'" he told Fangoria. “Huge stacked boxes of original camera negatives, 11,000 black-and-white photos, 16mm footage of everything that happened behind the scenes. The photos are a source of excitement to see the interaction of what was going on behind the scenes. I knew that with this material we could find out if Malcolm [McDowell, who plays Caligula and claimed that there was a better film to be found in the outtakes] was telling the truth. There was incredible acting in those reels. More interesting than the film itself is the story of the making of the film. Honestly, looking at how it’s shaping up, I don’t think there’s a single frame from the original that is in our new version.”

Negovan also spoke about how the restoration team is navigating the contradictory multiple visions — from screenwriter Gore Vidal, director Tinto Brass and producer (and Penthouse mogul) Bob Guccione — that ultimately doomed the film when it was eventually released in 1980.

"I think that to try and emulate Tinto Brass’s art, which was in the [theatrically released] edit, would be trying to emulate something so stylistic and singular,” Negovan said. “It’s such a clear personal style and I felt it would be disrespectful to try to recreate it inauthentically. To me, the most respectful approach to this story was not to go the avant-garde cult film approach, which is what Tinto would do, but to acknowledge its incredibly powerful narrative that Gore Vidal etched out – to try not to impose any opinions beyond service to the intended story, because it’s not our art.”

To read the full interview with Negovan about the return of “Caligula,” visit Fangoria.com.

To pre-order the photobook via Kickstarter — available only until tomorrow, June 30, at 1:30 p.m. (PDT) — click here.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Kaela Luna Makes Her TransAngels Debut

Kaela Luna has made her TransAngles debut alongside Parker Savage and Harrison Feels in “Jackhammering Kaela.”

Adult Time Marks April Fool's Day With 5 Satirical Releases

Adult Time is marking April Fool’s Day with the release of satirical scenes from five of its series.

Adult Time Wraps Production on Bree Mills' Feature 'Escape From Camp Conversion'

Adult Time has wrapped production on its latest feature, the Bree Mills-helmed "Escape From Camp Conversion," from its Girlcore studio brand.

Daisy Fox Makes Her TeamSkeet Debut

Daisy Fox makes her TeamSkeet debut in the latest episode of the studio series "She's New," titled "A Foxy Little Newcomer," with Nicky Rebel.

Elizabeth Skylar Performs Her 1st B/B/G in Latest From New Sensations

Elizabeth Skylar has performed her first B/B/G in the latest scene from New Sensations, with Codey Steele and Milan Ponjevic.

Lynna Nilsson Fronts Latest From Immoral Productions

Lynna Nilsson performs her first DVP in a new trilogy from Immoral Productions, alongside Matt Bird and Brad Knight.

Anna Claire Clouds: From Nashville to XMA Gold

The photo shoot is going great. Anna Claire Clouds knows all her angles. The moment the cap comes off the camera lens, Clouds tilts her head just so and deploys her signature dreamy eyes with all controls set to “smoldering.” Girl knows what she’s doing.

Lilly Bell Takes the Spotlight in 2 New Adult Time Scenes

2025 XMAs Girl/Girl Performer of the Year Lilly Bell stars in two new scenes from Adult Time.

LorReign Makes Her WIFEY Debut

Content creator and former Colorado sheriff's deputy LorReign has made her debut for new Vixen Media Group (VMG) studio imprint WIFEY alongside her husband Anthony and Jax Slayher.

Angela White Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Angela White stars with Derek Savage in the latest release from Brazzers, titled “Boom Boom Angela.”

Show More