The intersection of so many great and wondrous characters of Greek and Roman mythology lies solely with the story of Helen of Troy, a new epic mini series airing on the USA network. It brings together the gods of Olympia: Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite - and mighty heroes: Achilles, Ajax, Diomede, Odysseus, Nestor and Hector. It united the Greek kingdoms for a ten year attack on an invincible city, with walls built by the god Poseidon. It is the story of love and betrayal, ambition and sacrifice ... and whether or not historians and archeologists are ever be able to prove these events and people truly existed, the story of Helen of Troy marks the first great love story ever told.

The city of Troy, home to the Trojans and favored by Poseidon, is surrounded by great walls with the help of the god himself. The king and queen of Troy have three children: Hector, Cassandra and Paris. Cassandra had been given the gift of prophecy by the god, Apollo. She forewarns her parents that her infant brother, Paris, would be the cause of the fall of their great city. Paris is sent off to Mount Ida to die, but is rescued by a shepherd and raised in obscurity.

• King Priam of Troy - John Rhys-Davies (the epic roman mini series "I, Claudius" and japan mini series "Shogun" - Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and of course, Gimli the Dwarf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy)
• Queen Hecuba of Troy - Maryam D'Abo (the short-lived sci-fi 1988 series Something Is Out There, and Bond babe of The Living Daylights)
• Prince Hector of Troy - Daniel Lapaine (the magical mini series, the 10th Kingdom and Tales from the Crypt "Ritual")
• Princess Cassandra of Troy - Emilia Fox (Three Blind Mice and played Dorota in the Academy Award winning film, The Pianist)
• Prince Paris of Troy - newcomer Matthew Marsden
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    • Shepherd of Mt. Ida - Manuel Cauchi (Revelation)

Three goddesses - Hera, Athena and Aphrodite - were sent to Mount Ida to have the now adult Paris decide who among them was the fairest of all - a challenge issued by the goddess of strife using the golden apple of discord (Eris was the consort of the god of war, Ares, and got snubbed at a wedding invitation). Each of them would appear to him with different promises: Hera promised him power and riches as a King, Athena would give him knowledge, glory and fame in all wars, but Aphrodite ... she had a trick up her sleeve ...

• Hera - Andrea Rodutoiu
• Athena - Gina Nalamlieng
• Aphrodite - Emily Kosloski

... Aphrodite promises love of the most beautiful woman in the world to become his wife ... a Spartan princess, Helen. You see, Helen wasn't just any ordinary princess, she was also the daughter of a god - Zeus. Like most of the gods, he had a nasty habit of disguising himself in various forms, in this case a swan, to seduce innocent mortals, such as Queen Leda of Sparta. This event spawn Helen and Pollux, while siblings Castor (oddly enough Pollux's twin, much later known as the Gemini Twins) and Clytemnestra were purely mortal offspring of King Tyndareus of Sparta.

• King Tyndareus of Sparta - Richard Durden (Scars of Dracula, Tim Burton's Batman and Chimera)
• Princess Helen of Sparta - Sienna Guillory (Superstition and The Time Machine)
• Prince Pollux of Sparta - Craig Kelly (Wing Commander and Three Blind Mice)
• Princess Clytemnestra of Sparta - British actress Katie Blake

As a child, Helen is kidnapped by her sworn suitor, Theseus of Athens. But he had more adventures to pursue and left her with his mother, Aethra, until she reached adulthood. Helen's brother's Castor and Pollux rescue their sister, along with Theseus's mother, and return safely back to Sparta.

• King Theseus of Athens - Stellan Skarsgård (Deep Blue Sea and the upcoming, Exorcist: The Beginning)

Tyndareus now must find his daughter a husband. And as many kings, princes and heroes from the Greek lands came to court the exquisite Helen, the King found himself in quite the predicament as he could not decide on any one of these, without offending the others. The King of Ithica, Odysseus, had a keen idea that he would get all the suitors to vow to defend Helen's choice, and avenge any wrong doing upon the her IF the king would support his plan to marry the beloved Penelope. Everyone agreed, and strangely enough ... Helen chooses one of two exiled brothers who had sought refuge in Sparta.

• King Atreus of Mycenae - Edward Mercieca (also starring in next year's film epic, Troy)
• Prince Agamemnon of Mycenae - Rufus Sewell (Dark City, Arabian Nights, Bless the Child, A Knight's Tale and HBO/CMAX's Creature Feature - She Creature)
• Prince Menelaus of Mycenae - James Callis (television's 2000 versions of Arabian Nights and Jason and the Argonauts)

Helen and Menelaus thought they could live happily ever after, as Menelaus becomes the new King of Sparta. His brother, Agamemnon marries Helen's sister, Clytemnestra, and retakes his family's throne as King of Mycenae. Meanwhile, Paris has regained his princely status in Troy, and sails to Sparta to find his betrothed already married. As their guest, Paris finds a way into Helen's heart and the two ship off to the great Trojan city of Troy. Menelaus demands the previous suitors of Helen to make good their pledge to avenge her. Odysseus takes some convincing, however, since he was happily in love at home with his own wife, Penelope. However, the Greeks would unite under the leadership of Agamemnon, with some of the greatest heroes of Greek Legend, such as Achilles, Ajax the Great, Patroclus, Phoenix, Philoctetes, Diomedes and the wise Nestor.

• King Odysseus of Ithica - Nigel Whitmey (television mini series - The 10th Kingdom and Attila)
• Prince Achilles of Myrmidones - Joe Montana (Down and The Bourne Identity)

And this is how the 10 year siege on the city of Troy begins, and ... The Face that launched a Thousand Ships, Helen of Troy.

The epic mini series, Helen of Troy, airs April 20 and 21, 2003 at 8pm on the USA Network:

http://www.usanetwork.com/movies/helenoftroy/

And be sure to check out USA Network's Cable in the Classroom for more information of the history and mythology of this story:

http://www.usanetwork.com/cableinclassroom/helenoftroy/