Gielgud was also offered the role of Tiberius, which he declined, as he felt Vidal's script was "pornographic"; however, he later accepted the shorter role of Nerva.
Initially unable to accept her death, Caligula has a and rampages through the palace, destroying a statue of Isis while clutching Drusilla's body.
Citizens for Decency through Law, a private watchdog group that protested against films that it deemed immoral, sought to prevent the film's exhibition in , on the grounds that it would be a "public nuisance", leading Penthouse to withdraw the film from exhibition there to avoid another trial.
The film explores his relationship with Caligula, the process of reconstructing Brass's vision, and Penthouse CEO 's backing of the project.