Over his nearly two-decade-long career, Joe Wright has never had a project have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. That is, until now. Wright’s eight-part series “M – Son Of The Century” will be on the Lido this year, albeit not in competition. But expect the Sky series to be one of the fest’s most anticipated premieres, in no small part to its subject matter: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
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Based on the Premiu Strega-winning novel by Antonio Scurati, Wright’s series follows the Italian fascist’s rise to power after WWI in the years 1919-1925. Read on for an official synopsis, courtesy of Sky Studios:
Like the eponymous novel, the series will tell the history of a country that surrendered to dictatorship, and the story of a man who was able to rise from his ashes time and again. The eight-part series will cover the period from the founding of Fasci Italiani in 1919 through to Mussolini’s infamous speech in parliament following the murder of socialist MP Giacomo Matteotti in 1925. The series will also provide viewers with an insight into Mussolini and his personal relationships, including with his wife Rachele, his lover Margherita Sarfatti, and with other iconic figures from the time.
“M – Son of The Century” stars Luca Marinelli, Francesco Russo, Barbara Chichiarelli, Benedetta Cimatti, Federico Majorana, Lorenzo Zurzolo, and Federico Mainardi. Maurizio Lombardi, Gianmarco Vettori, Gaetano Bruno, Paolo Pierobon, and Elena Lietti also star. Gianluca Gobbi, Gabriele Falsetta, and Vincenzo Nemolato round out the main cast.
Stefano Bises and David Serino adapt Scurati’s novel for the series, with Scurato working with the pair on the series outline.
Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli produce Wright’s series for The Apartment, a Fremantle group company, in co-production with Pathé, in association with Small Forward Productions, and in collaboration with Fremantle, CINECITTÁ S.p.A., and Sky.
No word when “M – Son Of The Century” has its US television premiere, but Fremantle handles its international sales at Venice. Watch the first trailer for the series below.