‘M. Son of the Century’: Joe Wright Describes His Benito Mussolini Series As “Quite Outlandish”

After the release of 2017’s “Darkest Hour,” filmmaker Joe Wright was living the dream. His film was nominated for six Oscars (winning two), and it appeared he was going to enter the conversation as one of the best filmmakers working today. Unfortunately, the drama surrounding his follow-up (“The Woman in the Window”) overshadowed the actual content (which itself wasn’t beloved) and led to perhaps one of the lowest points in his acclaimed career. Thankfully, 2021’s “Cyrano” was a bit of a rebound, though not a huge hit. Now, it appears Wright is trying his hand at TV with a new series, “M. Son of the Century.”

READ MORE: Joe Wright Says Severely Edited ‘Woman In the Window’ Is “Watered Down” & “Not The Film That I Originally Made”

According to Variety, Joe Wright is currently in Italy filming a new series titled, “M. Son of the Century,” a series about the life of Benito Mussolini. Obviously, Wright working on a series about one of the most controversial names in world history would be reason enough to be excited, but that’s not really what is drawing our attention. You see, Wright is describing the series as “quite outlandish” with an oversaturated color palette and a “kind of techno score.” So, it really sounds as if the filmmaker is swinging big with this historical series. 

Those worried that Wright is going to butcher the facts about Mussolini—fear not. The filmmaker said, “All the facts of what happened, they’re all there.” 

READ MORE: Joe Wright Talks ‘Cyrano,’ Having A Romantic Heart & More [Interview]

So, why is he excited about making a series about Benito Mussolini in 2023? Wright feels the content is applicable to today’s world because “populist leaders are sprouting up all over the world.” 

The series is set to star Luca Marinelli (“Martin Eden”) as Mussolini. It’s unclear when we might see the series debut, though filming is expected to wrap up fairly soon.