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Exclusive: We can reveal first look images of Michele Morrone and Salvatore Esposito in sports car biopic Maserati: The Brothers, which is filming in Italy.

365 Days star Morrone plays brother Alfieri Maserati while Gomorrah actor Salvatore Esposito plays sibling Bindo Maserati.

Also starring are Anthony Hopkins, Andy Garcia, Jessica Alba, Maya Talem, Victoria Sophia and Annie Bezikian. As we revealed, Diane Warren is composing an original song.

The English-language sports car biopic is being directed by Oscar winner Bobby Moresco (Crash). Andrea Iervolino produces. Filming got underway this month in Italy. Above and below are first look images from the set.

Maserati was founded in 1914 in a garage in the central Italian city of Bologna by three brothers: Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto. From its early days, the company – which is now known for luxury cars — was connected to the world of car racing. Maserati’s first Grand Prix vehicle...

Exclusive: Gomorrah star Salvatore Esposito is the latest name to join English-language sports car biopic, Maserati: The Brothers, which is now filming in Italy.

Michele Morrone, Anthony Hopkins, Andy Garcia, Jessica Alba and Tunisian actress Maya Talem — another new joiner — are also starring in the film about the brothers behind the iconic Italian car.

Pic is being produced by Italy’s Andrea Iervolino for his new film and TV outfit called The Andrea Iervolino Company and directed by Oscar winner Bobby Moresco (Crash). Filming will take place from today at Rome’s Cinecittà studios, Modena and Bologna.

Maserati was founded in 1914 in a garage in the central Italian city of Bologna by three brothers: Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto. From its early days, the company – which is now known for luxury cars — was connected to the world of car racing. Maserati’s first Grand Prix vehicle is the one that Alfieri Maserati...

Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. are back for more cops-and-criminals action in “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” the sequel to the 2018 heist thriller that’s opening January 10 and now has an official trailer you can watch below.

For cinephiles, you can expect more muscular filmmaking from director Christian Gudegast and more odd slips of Butler’s Scottish brogue into random lines of dialogue. And this time with Salvatore Esposito, star of the “Gomorrah” series who “Fargo” fans will also remember as a Fascist thug on Season 4 of the FX show. is tracking down Donnie Wilson (Jackson), who escaped to Europe and is planning another heist.”)

You can also expect something else: Because this “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” trailer has been released, German arthouse auteur Christian Petzold, director of such moving, thoughtful festival hits as “Phoenix,” “Undine,” and “Afire,” is probably very happy right now.

He’s an avowed...

Beta Film has released a swashbuckling, pulse-pounding trailer for “Rise of the Raven,” its epic 10-part drama series based on the bloody 15th-century battle that changed the course of Europe. The show will world premiere at Mipcom in the Grand Auditorium of Cannes’ Palais des Festivals on Oct. 22.

Adapted from author Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the series tells the story of the Hungarian warrior Janos Hunyadi, who defeated the Ottoman army in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade, halting its march across Europe and marking a turning point in the history of the continent.

The series is produced by veteran Canadian producer Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films and Beta Film, the production and distribution powerhouse behind series including “Gomorrah” and “Babylon Berlin.” The Munich-based company is also repping the show internationally as part of a packed Mipcom slate.

In a trailer shared exclusively with Variety, Hunyadi (Kádár L. Gellért) delivers...

Rome’s Mia Market dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films and documentaries kicked off its 10th edition on Monday, with 60 selected projects from 90 countries ready to be unveiled to potential partners.

The Oct. 14-18 pre-Mipcom boutique event – which is celebrating its first decade by continuing to adapt its innovative informal market concept to ongoing industry changes – will also feature a rich roster of panels and keynote speakers, who will help take the global industry’s pulse at a time when business models are changing and co-productions have become more crucial than ever.

As previously announced by Variety, this year’s keynote speakers include Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope, who has overseen such global hits as “The Last of Us”; “Ripley” producer Clayton Townsend; and Canadian-American producer Odessa Rae, who was instrumental in the making of Oscar-winning doc “Navalny” about the late Russian dissident.

Ed Havard, who...

Greenlit is the international series showcase at Mia and a spot where juicy new titles are seen, often for the first time. The seven-strong lineup spans big-ticket sequels and prequels – step forward Italian giants Gomorrah and The Law According to Lidia Poët – new originals, adaptations and remakes. Paolo Ciccarelli, Head of Drama at Mia, manages the Greenlit program.

Each project is presented on Mia’s main stage by its producers, commissioners or talent. Gomorrah – The Origins is sure to grab attention. From Sky Studios and Cattleya and for Sky Italia, it was created by Leonardo Fasoli and Maddalena Ravagli, and tells the story of Pietro Savastano, from a boy the street who rises up the ranks to become the most important crime boss in Naples. Sandokan is a remake of the cult Italian pirate series produced by Lux Vide and Rai for the Italian pubcaster. Turkish star Can Yaman leads the cast,...

Antonio Vivaldi, the Italian Baroque composer and violinist who penned “The Four Seasons,” will be portrayed in “Primavera,” the feature debut of Damiano Michieletto, a leading opera director. Memento International has boarded the film which begins shooting this month in Rome and Venice.

“Primavera” was penned by Ludovica Rampoldi, the award-winning screenwriter of movies such as “The Traitor” and “Gomorrah – the series,” among others. The script is loosely adapted from Tiziano Scarpa’s critically acclaimed novel “Stabat Mater.”

Set in 18th century Venice, “Primavera” follows Cecilia, a 20-year-old violin virtuoso who lives at the Pièta orphanage. Despite her talent, Cecilia remains confined within the orphanage, knowing that marriage is the only way out. Yet, her life takes a turn after she meets Antonio Vivaldi, a brilliant and ambitious composer who becomes the new violin teacher. Guided by Vivaldi and his music, Cecilia “finds the strength to challenge the destiny that once seemed inevitable,...

“Gomorrah,” the gritty Neapolitan mob series that became Italy’s biggest TV export, is back — albeit in a different time frame.

Shooting is set to start in early 2025 in Naples on “Gomorrah – The Series. The Origins,” the hit crime drama’s previously announced origin story that will be directed by Marco D’Amore, the actor who played ruthless central character Ciro Di Marzio on the show.

D’Amore, who previously helmed several episodes of the series as well as a prequel feature film to “Gomorrah” titled “The Immortal” – and subsequently further honed his behind-the-camera chops directing Naples-set movies “Napoli Magica” and “Caracas” – officially announced on Tuesday that he will lead-direct this new project in a video to which Variety has been given exclusive access.

“Today I’m here to tell you that we will finally explore the saga’s origins,” D’Amore says in the video, which can be viewed above.

Italy’s Mia market — dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films and documentaries — is set for its 10th edition with 60 projects from 90 countries ready to be unveiled to potential partners.

The Oct. 14-18 pre-Mipcom event will also feature a rich roster of panels and keynote speakers, which will help take the global industry’s pulse at a time when business models are changing and co-productions have become more crucial than ever.

This year’s Mia panels will be announced later this week, but market director Gaia Tridente revealed to Variety that she has lined up some high-caliber keynote speakers such as Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope, “Ripley” producer Clayton Townsend and Canadian-American producer Odessa Rae, who was instrumental in the making of Oscar-winning doc “Navalny” about the late Russian dissident.

Tridente said she’s been surprised at how many projects Mia received this year – 600 submissions to its co-productions call,...

After six years, the first official trailer for Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has arrived, giving us our first look at the upcoming heist thriller starring Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr., although it looks like there will be a slight twist to their dynamic this time as, instead of trying to one up one another, they'll be teaming up to pull off the diamond heist of a lifetime.

However, the synopsis is not quite as revealing, telling us that "Big Nick (Butler) is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie (Jackson), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange."

In addition to Gerard Butler (300; Olympus Has Fallen) and O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton; Godzilla: King of the Monsters) reprising their roles from the previous installment,...

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The Penguin is a gritty crime drama series created by Lauren LeFranc. Based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the HBO series is set in the world of Matt Reeves‘ The Batman and it follows the story of Oswald “Oz” Cobb aka Penguin a few weeks after the events of The Batman as he tries to gain power after the death of Carmine Falcone, but Carmine’s daughter Sofia Falcone is also thinking of doing the same. The Penguin stars Colin Farrell in the lead role with Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Mark Strong, Michael Kelly, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the gritty criminal world, compelling characters, and a thrilling story in The Penguin here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The new season of the spy-thriller series from the Russo brothers has just released a new trailer. Citadel: Diana, another chapter of the Citadel franchise, will be streaming on Prime Video starting October 10 and Amazon MGM Studios has dropped a new look that shows the lead actress, Matilda De Angelis, get into multiple scuffles while taking on the world of the independent global spy agency. The final episode of Citadel included a post-credits teaser trailer for Citadel: Diana. Citadel: Diana was created, produced, and filmed in Italy.

The official synopsis reads,

“Diana is set in Milan in 2030, where eight years ago, spy agency Citadel was destroyed by the powerful enemy syndicate, Manticore. Since then, Diana Cavalieri (De Angelis), an undercover Citadel agent, is alone, trapped behind enemy lines as a mole in Manticore. When she finally sees a way out and the chance to disappear forever, the only way to...

Prime Video has released a high-octane trailer for its spy series “Citadel: Diana,” starring Italy’s Matilda De Angelis (“The Undoing”) as Diana Cavalieri, an undercover Citadel agent fighting against an enemy syndicate set in a near-future Milan.

The six-episode show – which marks the streamer’s most ambitious Italian original to date – is the country’s installment of Prime Video’s high-concept “Citadel” franchise that debuted in April 2023. The series is meant to serve as a launch pad for multiple shows set in different countries that are all connected via plot and characters.

De Angelis, a rising Italian star, made her international breakthrough in Susanne Bier’s “The Undoing,” alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. She also appeared with Liev Schrieber in the Ernest Hemingway adaptation “Across the River and Into the Trees,” directed by Paula Ortiz.

“Citadel: Diana” takes place in 2030 Milan where, eight years earlier, the independent global...

Italian screenwriters Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi have completed the screenplay for The Echo Chamber, the unfinished project by Bernardo Bertolucci he worked on before his death.

Italian producer Indigo Films acquired the dramatic feature in 2018 and now has the project in active development and being shopped for co-production partners at the Toronto Film Festival. Bernardini penned the Italian series Corpo Libero and Rampoldi was a writer on Max’s Gomorrah gangster drama.

Bernardini and Rampoldi wrote the first draft of the screenplay for The Echo Chamber with Bertolucci, and have finished the screenplay. Carolina Iorio is producing the $6 million English language feature that centers on a love story in a single house. Leo, a successful music producer struggling with addiction, starts a relationship with Layla, a passionate, yet enigmatic physiotherapist.

There’s no word on casting for The Echo Chamber, as talks on an Italian director for the project continue.

British director Joe Wright, who helmed Winston Churchill drama “Darkest Hour,” is at the Venice Film Festival with another historical piece, high-end TV drama “M. Son of the Century.” The series chronicles Benito Mussolini’s rise to power and is particularly timely as populist leaders are sprouting up all over the world.

Based on Italian author Antonio Scurati’s eponymous bestselling novel which traces the birth of Fascism in Italy, “M” reconstructs Mussolini’s ascent with an innovative approach. Luca Marinelli plays the despotic leader during the period between 1919, when he founded the fascist party in Italy, and 1925 when – having gained power with the 1922 March on Rome – Mussolini made an infamous speech in the Italian Chamber of Deputies declaring himself a dictator.

“M” is produced by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli for Fremantle-owned The Apartment Pictures in collaboration with Pathé and Small Forward. The show, which was largely shot at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios,...

Filmmaker Joe Wright takes a 180 in the portrayal of World War II prime ministers, pivoting from the wise and measured Winston Churchill in 2017’s Darkest Hour (which delivered a Best Actor Oscar win to Gary Oldman) to the spontaneous, hot blooded and short-fused Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini in the Fremantle/Apartment/Sky/Pathe series M. Son of the Century, which made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival today. While the Lido gets to see the series’ full eight hours that Wright directed and executive produced, TIFF will be treated to the first two episodes.

We spoke with Wright while he was editing the punk-rock stylized series. He originally shot M. from October 2022-April 2023; the show carrying all the filmmaker’s tonal sensibilities, i.e., deep amber colors, flickering shadows, fierce pacing which we’ve seen in his award-winning features Darkest Hour, Atonement, Anna Karenina and more.

M. Son...

Exclusive: The anticipated prequel series to Italian mega-hit Gomorrah is currently being envisaged as spanning three seasons, we understand from sources close to the project.

The second and third seasons have yet to be formally greenlit by Sky but the creative ambition from those working on the project is for three seasons. The first is due to begin production early next year.

The currently untitled prequel series, set in 1970’s Naples, will chart the origin story and rise to power of crime boss Pietro Savastano and his wife, Imma Savastano, whose family are the subject of the original Sky Italia and Cattleya hit. We understand a number of the characters from the first season of the show are likely to appear as their younger selves and the idea is for the third season to take the story up to events of the original.

Many of the show’s key creators are back,...

Because of six seasons of brilliant television, The Sopranos earned millions of fans and a ton of critical acclaim. The HBO series had everything going for it with its exceptionally well-written and rich characters and captivating storylines and recently an equally brilliant prequel film The Many Saints of Newark, which came out in 2021 and gave all of the original series fans something more from the Sopranos world. So, if you loved the witty dialogues, compelling characters, and thrilling stories here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Gangs of London Credit – AMC+

Gangs of London is a British action crime thriller drama series created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery. Based on a 2006 action-adventure open-world video game developed by London Studio, the AMC+ series is set in a crime-filled London as a bloody power struggle between the international gangs begins after the head of London’s most powerful...

Italy’s Minerva Pictures has boarded Giovanni Dota’s High Stakes – A Night on the Ward which plays in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori sidebar.

The Italian comedy is set in a Naples hospital and centres on two nurses who bet their Christmas vacation whether a desperately ill patient will survive the night.

The film stars Carlo Buccirosso and Lino Musella. It is produced through Italian International Film with Rai Cinema. I Wonder Pictures is handling Italian distribution.

It plays in the Venetian Nights section of the Giornate degli Autori.

Giovanni Dota worked as an assistant director on Gomorrah. His...

Peacock is moving ahead with the latest series from Bill Dubuque, who is best known for cocreating Netflix’s “Ozark” with Mark Williams. The upcoming crime thriller is titled “M.I.A.”

The deal to land the series was described as a “highly competitive situation” in a press release about the forthcoming show. MRC will produce the drama, with Karen Campbell serving as its executive producer and showrunner. Stefano Sollima, the creator and director of both “ZeroZeroZero” and the Italian series “Gomorrah,” will direct and executive produce.

The drama will revolve around Etta Tiger Jonze, a woman for whom drug running is a family affair. But when her family is killed in front of her, Etta sets out on her own quest for justice. As Etta avenges her blood family, she will also build ties with her chosen family, “igniting her series journey from powerless orphan to South Florida’s most powerful criminal Queenpin,...

Peacock has handed a straight-to-series order to the crime thriller M.I.A., written and executive produced by Ozark co-creator Bill Dubuque.

MRC will produce the South Florida-set series about a family running drugs for Etta Tiger Jonze, but when her family is slaughtered, she seeks justice to avenge her blood family while she builds her chosen family. The result sends Etta on a series journey from a powerless orphan to South Florida’s most powerful criminal queenpin.

Karen Campbell will executive produce and showrun M.I.A., while Stefano Sollima will direct and executive produce. Earlier, Solima served as the creator and director of ZeroZeroZero and as the showrunner and director of the hit Italian series Gomorrah.

Ozark earned 45 Emmy nominations and four wins, in addition to honors at the Golden Globes, WGA, SAG and DGA Awards.

Similar to the storyline for M.I.A., Ozark was about family and the American dream.

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to the South Florida-set, female-led crime thriller M.I.A. from Ozark co-creator Bill Dubuque.

Mia is the airport code for Miami. The South Florida area consists of Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.

In M.I.A., running drugs is a family affair for Etta Tiger Jonze. But when her family is slaughtered before her eyes, Etta sets out to exact justice on those responsible – avenging her blood family. At the same time, she builds her chosen family, igniting her series journey from powerless orphan to South Florida’s most powerful criminal Queenpin.

M.I.A. is the latest series to cover SoFla’s seedy underbelly following the recently released titles including Chris Brancato’s Hotel Cocaine for MGM+ and two Netflix series: the Sofia Vergara-led Griselda and the early seasons of Narcos focused on Pablo Escobar, both of which had executive producers that include Eric Newman,...

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to the female-led crime thriller “M.I.A.,” Variety has learned.

The series, which is set in South Florida, hails from writer Bill Dubuque, who previously co-created the Emmy-winning Netflix series “Ozark.” The official logline for the series states:

“Running drugs is a family affair for Etta Tiger Jonze, but when her family is slaughtered before her eyes, Etta sets out to exact justice on those responsible – avenging her blood family while she builds her chosen family, igniting her series journey from powerless orphan to South Florida’s most powerful criminal Queenpin.”

Karen Campbell will serve as executive producer and showrunner on “M.I.A.” Stefano Sollima will direct and executive produce. MRC will produce.

“Ozark” ran for four seasons on Netflix and followed a family involved in laundering money for a drug cartel. The series received 45 Emmy nominations during that time with four wins. Dubuque’s other...

Prime Video on Monday unveiled teaser footage, plot details and an Oct. 10 launch date for “Citadel: Diana,” the hotly anticipated spy show starring Matilda De Angelis (“The Undoing”) that is part of the “Citadel” franchise.

Details of “Citadel: Diana” – which marks the streamer’s most ambitious Italian original to date – were unveiled during a gala evening presentation of Prime Video’s Italian slate held in the palatial Villa Miani on a hill overlooking the Eternal City.

The six-episode series is set in a near-future Milan, in 2030, where eight years earlier the independent global spy agency Citadel was wiped out by Manticore, the powerful enemy syndicate that manipulates the world from the shadows. Since then, Diana Cavalieri (De Angelis) – who is an undercover Citadel agent – is alone, “trapped behind enemy lines as a mole in Manticore,” as the provided synopsis puts it.

When Diana finally sees a way out and the chance to disappear forever,...

Actor-director Trudie Styler’s doc “Posso entrare? An Ode to Naples” is set to have its U.S. premiere at New York City’s MoMA on July 17, followed by an onstage chat moderated by John Turturro.

Styler’s high-profile doc delves into the belly of the unique southern Italian port city, located in the shadow of active volcano Mount Vesuvius, that is known for its resilience, crime and creative energy. Her “Ode” features, among others, “Gomorrah” author Roberto Saviano; Alessandra Clemente, a Naples municipal councillor whose mother was murdered in a mob shootout; the women involved in Forti Guerriere, an organization against domestic violence and femicide; and a musical performance by Sting, who is Styler’s husband.

In her directors’ notes, Styler — who has had a home in Tuscany for two decades — points out that “it’s only the wind that has protected Naples from Vesuvius’s dangerous lava and ash.

Principal photography has commenced on the Arab underworld thriller “Boomah” (“The Owl”), written and directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan and marking the Jordanian filmmaker’s second feature following his critically acclaimed “Daughters of Abdul Rahman.”

Previously announced in December, Rakeen Saad is set to play the titular role of the female thug Boomah. Saad rose to acclaim for her central roles in hit shows “The Giza Killer” and the Netflix original “Al Rawabi School for Girls,” and will next be seen as the lead in a new Netflix series production “Echoes of the Past” and “The Way of the Wind,” the biblical drama by Terrence Malick.

“Boomah” — now shooting in Jordan — reunites Saad with Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida who will play the role of her best friend and confidant Anoud. Arida will next appear in “Laura H,” a Dutch TV series based on the bestseller by journalist Thomas Rueb. Rounding...

The cast of upcoming Arab crime thriller Boomah has been revealed as director Zaid Abu Hamdan begins filming in Jordan.

As previously reported, the title role is to be played by Rakeen Saad, star of Netflix hit AlRawabi School For Girls and who will next be seen in Netflix series Echoes Of The Past and Terrence Malick’s biblical drama The Way Of The Wind.

Boomah will see Saad reunite with Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida, who will play the role of her best friend and confidant Anoud. Arida will next be seen in Dutch TV series Laura H.

Rounding out the cast are Majd Eid,...

Zaid Abu Hamdan has begun principal photography in Jordan on new film Boomah which is being positioned as an Arab world thriller with a similar gritty edge as City of God, Gomorrah and La Haine.

Boomah marks Jordanian director Abu Hamdan’s second feature after his critically acclaimed female focused drama Daughters of Abdul Rahman.

The Giza Killer and Al Rawabi School For Girls actress Rakeen Saad stars in the titular role of a female thug, who goes by the name of Boomah. The actress is also soon to be seen as the lead in new Netflix series production Echoes of the Past, as well as in Terrence Malick’s biblical drama The Way of the Wind.

She will be joined by Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida in the role of Boomah’s best friend and confidant Anoud. Rounding out the cast are Majd Eid, Nabil Al Raee and Hanan Al Hilo, who previously starred in Daughters of Abdul Rahman.

The new film is billed as an “expansive crime thriller” set against the backdrop of Jordan’s underworld. Protagonist Boomah is notorious and knife-savvy female gang member who becomes embroiled in a power struggle between street thugs and religious extremists while battling the traumas of her harrowing orphaned past.

The film is produced by Front Row Productions with Ahmad Abu Koush and director Abu Hamdan’s Jordan-based Bounce Productions.

Also on board is Amman-based production company Bayt Al Shawareb, which worked on 2014 Oscar-nominated film Theeb and the 2023 Cannes Critics’ Week breakout Inshallah a Boy.

A joint venture between Mena distributors Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, Front Row Productions’ previous credits include Netflix originals Perfect Strangers, The Sandcastle, starring Nadine Labaki and Ziad Bakri, and the upcoming Cliffhanger reboot.

“We’re proud to be a part of this project, supporting Jordanian and Levantine talent during this extremely difficult and trying period, with so much risk inherent in cinema and arts coming out of this region,” said Front Row Productions partners Gianluca Chakra and Mario Jr. Haddad.

“Zaid is an outstanding young and ambitious director with a very bright future ahead, a true visionary and difference-maker. His understanding of the nuances of Jordanian street culture is exceptional,” they added.

“We are concentrating on a script and storytelling that transcends borders and nationality while looking to break the limits of background and identity to bring Boomah to a wide Arab audience and beyond. We see Boomah positioned as a film with Arab and international appeal, as a crime thriller reminiscent of great underworld juggernaut works like City of God, Gomorrah, La Haine and others.”...

Fremantle and Italian crime/action genre specialist Stefano Sollima’s newly launched company AlterEgo have signed a first-look deal that will see them work in tandem developing a slate of original films and dramas for the international market.

Sollima, who is known for milestone TV series “Gomorrah” and Hollywood movies such as “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” as well as “Without Remorse,” recently officially launched AlterEgo in tandem with ace U.S. showrunner Gina Gardini and longtime collaborator, writer/director Ludovico Purgatori.

The high-powered trio have been associates since “Gomorrah” and, more recently, Sollima’s Rome-set crime drama “Adagio” – which launched from Venice last year – and his upcoming Netflix serial killer series “Il Mostro” – the latter two partly produced by AlterEgo in tandem with Fremantle-owned The Apartment. As reported by Variety, AlterEgo are now widening their scope and will start shepherding film and TV works by other talents and also venturing into different genres.

Exclusively on Arrow this July, Loop Track, an electrifying journey into the unknown from Kiwi writer-director and actor Tom Sainsbury. Known for his comedic flair in such works as Wellington Paranormal and Guns Akimbo, Sainsbury stars as a hiker whose solo trek in the New Zealand bush takes a very unexpected turn.

Highly anxious Ian Thompson (Sainsbury) sets off on a solo trek in the New Zealand bush for some respite from the stress of everyday life. His plans for uninterrupted solitude are scuppered however, when he encounters Nicky (Hayden J Weal) and other hikers, only exacerbating his paranoia. As Ian’s grip on reality weakens, he becomes convinced they are being followed. Miles from civilisation, their journey turns into a fight for survival as Ian’s fears manifest into a surreal battle against an unseen threat lurking in the wilderness. Is it all just in his head? Or is someone,...

Streaming exclusively on Arrow this July is Loop Track, an unnerving psychological horror thriller from Kiwi writer-director Tom Sainsbury. Known for his comedic roles in Wellington Paranormal and Guns Akimbo, Sainsbury makes his directorial debut with this gripping and tense exploration of isolation and paranoia. Set against the backdrop of the New Zealand wilderness, Loop Track stars Sainsbury himself as Ian Thompson, a hiker whose solo trek takes a very unexpected and terrifying turn.

In Loop Track, highly anxious Ian Thompson seeks solace from the stress of everyday life by embarking on a solo hike in the New Zealand bush. However, his plans for uninterrupted solitude are quickly disrupted when he encounters fellow hiker Nicky, played by Hayden J. Weal, along with other hikers. These encounters only serve to exacerbate Ian’s paranoia. As his grip on reality weakens, Ian becomes convinced they are being followed. The journey turns into...

Italian crime/action genre specialist Stefano Sollima – who is known for milestone TV series “Gomorrah” and Hollywood movies such as “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Without Remorse” – is officially launching a film and TV production shingle named AlterEgo in tandem with ace U.S. showrunner Gina Gardini and longtime collaborator, writer/director Ludovico Purgatori.

The high-powered trio have been associates since “Gomorrah” and, more recently, Sollima’s Rome-set crime drama “Adagio” and his upcoming Netflix serial killer series “Il Mostro” – the latter two partly produced by AlterEgo. They are now widening their scope and will start shepherding film and TV works by other talents and also venturing into different genres.

“The reason we decided to call ourselves Alter Ego is that we didn’t start out as producers,” said Sollima. “So each of us has their own specificity.” The name “alter ego” refers “precisely our individual ability to put...

Photo: Hunter King, Michele Rosiello Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Moris Puccio

Hallmark Channel has revealed details of a new, original movie starring Hunter King and Michele Rosiello. Titled Two Scoops of Italy, the movie was shot on location as part of the feel-good network’s June 2024 Passport to Love programming event.

Read on to find out more about the movie and its cast and enjoy beautiful images taken on the film set in beautiful Italy.

Two Scoops of Italy on Hallmark Channel Photo: Hunter King Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Moris Puccio

According to the official synopsis, an American chef finds love of the gelato kind in Italy. Filmed entirely on location in Italy, the movie stars Hunter King as an American chef, Danielle Turner, who meets a charming local gelatiere, Giancarlo Donati, played by Michele Rosiello.

Photo: Michele Rosiello, Hunter King Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Moris Puccio

Chef Danielle Turner...

An American Chef passionately embraces the allure of Italy as Hunter King and Michele Rosiello take the lead in Two Scoops of Italy, an exciting new film debuting on Saturday, June 22 (8 p.m. Et/Pt) exclusively on Hallmark Channel, marking […]

The post Hunter King and Michele Rosiello Star in Two Scoops of Italy on Hallmark appeared first on Soap Opera News.

Brie Larson, Katie Holmes, Bo Derek, Harvey Keitel, Kate Beckinsale, John David Washington, Matt Bomer, and Colman Domingo are among the robust contingent of Hollywood stars set to disembark on the island of Sardinia for the upcoming seventh edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

The event, which kicks off Italy’s summer moviegoing season and combines film and TV, unspools June 20-23 in the Forte Village resort near Cagliari, capital of Sardegna (Sardinia in English). This year, the festival has upped its game making “a major effort to attract talents,” notes Tiziana Rocca, the marketing guru and former Taormina Film Festival chief who launched the Sardinia event seven years ago.

More than 70 international and italian titles comprising feature films, TV series, docs and shorts in a wide range of genres will be screening at the fest. Local premiers include Netflix’s Japanese anime film “The Imaginary” which will drop...

The head of Sky Studios’ Italian fare has spotlighted the challenges behind making a Gomorrah prequel in the highly competitive streaming era.

Emanuele Marchesi delved deep into the highly-anticipated next chapter of the hit gang thriller series during an AVPSummit spotlight session this morning.

He said “the world around us has changed” since the first Gomorrah movie was released in 2008, followed by Roberto Saviano’s smash hit series, which premiered in 2014 and ran for five seasons.

“The competitive frameworks are very different now,” said Marchesi. “We didn’t have streamers back then – Netflix arrived in Italy around 2014 – and now there is huge and numerous drama production.”

Produced by Cattleya, the prequel will enter production next year along with another prequel of a popular Sky Italia series, Romanzo Criminale – La serie.

Marchesi, who was promoted late last year to Head of Editorial Content when Sonia Rovai left for Wildside, said...

Plans for a “Gomorrah” series prequel are moving forward, with shooting now scheduled to start in winter 2025 on the hit crime drama’s previously announced origin story.

News that the “Gomorrah” prequel show is firmly on track surfaced as Sky Italia celebrated the 10th anniversary of the country’s top TV export, with a special aired on Sunday – of which Variety has been given an exclusive clip – in which key cast traded anecdotes about how their onscreen roles wound up seeping into their real lives.

The “Gomorrah” origin story will recount the rise of mobster Pietro Savastano in the 1970s, when the Neapolitan criminal underworld was pervasive but less cutthroat — more tied to selling contraband cigarettes than large amounts of drugs — as the show’s lead producer Riccardo Tozzi, chief of ITV-owned Cattleya, revealed. Roberto Saviano, who generated the “Gomorrah” IP, is on board. Other details are being kept under wraps.

To celebrate the physical release of Cabrini out now on Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital Download platforms, we have 2 Blu-ray copies to give away to some lucky winners!

From the studio (Angel Studios) and director (Alejandro Monteverde) behind last summer’s box office sensation Sound of Freedom, this stunning biographical epic stars Cristiana Dell’Anna, two-time Oscar nominee John Lithgow, two-time Emmy nominee David Morse and Oscar nominee Giancarlo Giannini. Cabrini was produced by Academy Award-winning Jonathan Sanger (The Elephant Man) and features an original song performed by the world renowned tenor, Andrea Bocelli.

In 1889, Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini arrives in New York City, greeted only by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Witnessing the vast inequality of the city, Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to help society’s most vulnerable, but must first overcome the prejudices and indifference of those in power. However, despite these momentous setbacks, her broken English, and poor health,...

Exclusive: One of the market’s biggest-budget projects, the Will Smith action-crime thriller Sugar Bandits, has sealed multi-million dollar deals across the world for AGC ahead of a planned September start date.

Oscar winner Smith, soon to be seen reprising his role in the Bad Boys franchise, will play a former special forces soldier who runs an elite vigilante squad working to wipe out the drug trade in Boston.

As we revealed last week, the movie will be directed by Without Remorse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Gomorrah filmmaker Stefano Sollima, a move that helped lock in deals, some of which formed at the EFM and many of which closed here.

Big international deals include Leonine in Germany and Switzerland; Snd in France; Leone Film Group in Italy; Nordisk Film in Scandinavia; Sun Distribution in Spain, South Africa and Latin America; and Vertical Distribution in Ex Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania,...

Italian media company Be Water, which is in Cannes for the first time, has announced its full roster of partners and scope of business activities comprising film, documentary and scripted TV production as well as theatrical film distribution, podcasts and live events.

While details of the company’s scripted productions are being kept under wraps, Be Water has announced the lineup of films they are releasing locally theatrically in collaboration with Italy’s Medusa, which is handling booking and billing. Besides “Oh, Canada,” the Be Water lineup includes Nicolas Cage horror-thriller “Longlegs,” directed by Osgood Perkin; Russian-American director Michael Lockshin’s “The Master and Margarita” with Claes Bang and August Diehl; and action family adventure “Jim Button and the Wild 13.”

The Rome-based shingle is operating with what is being described as a holistic approach to content production that is congenial to the digital age, which is certainly a novelty for Italy.

Exclusive: On the eve of the Cannes market, Westbrook Studios and AGC Studios have set Italian filmmaker Stefano Sollima, known for directing Without Remorse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and hit series Gomorrah, to helm big-budget action-thriller Sugar Bandits.

Based on the screenplay and novel Devils In Exile by Chuck Hogan (The Town), Oscar winner Will Smith (Bad Boys) will play a former special forces soldier who runs an elite vigilante squad working to wipe out the drug trade in Boston. Additional casting continues.

AGC International and CAA Media Finance represent the film’s worldwide distribution rights and will continue sales in Cannes, ahead of an anticipated fall production start.

Smith and Jon Mone will produce Sugar Bandits through Westbrook Studios with Ryan Shimazaki overseeing; Stuart Ford will produce for AGC Studios, which is fully financing; and Richard Abate (13 Hours) will produce for 3 Arts Entertainment. Sollima’s producing partners...

Sky Studios’ director of content operations Bee Devine has joined London film and TV studios Garden Studios as its chief operating officer, taking over from Anthony Gannon.

Garden Studios was established in early 2021, with a focus on sustainability, and has a footprint of more than 300,000 ft2 including four soundstages, with more in development, and a permanent virtual production stage.

Devine joined Sky in 2013. During her tenure she has overseen all operational elements of Sky Studios, the development, commissioning and production arm of Sky, where her responsibilities included delivery of all scripted Sky originals such as Mary And George, Gangs Of London and Gomorrah.

Angel Studios, a small production studio operating out of Utah, has swiftly ascended as a significant player in the entertainment industry with its unique approach to distribution. Offering a diverse range of, mostly faith-themed, content accessible worldwide; the small film and TV outfit has revolutionised the distribution landscape mostly through crowdfunding.

While their decidedly innovative approach has been making headlines ever since the extraordinary record-breaking success of Sound of Freedom in 2023 – the film grossed around $250 million on a modest $14.5 million budget – the studio has also scored some huge wins with shows like The Chosen, Dry Bar Comedy and more recently the faith-based sci-fi drama The Shift.

The latest release from this ever surprising outfit sees the return of Sound of Freedom co-director Alejandro Monteverde at the helm in this impressive biopic detailing the life of 19th century Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini. Portrayed by esteemed Italian actress Cristiana Dell’Anna (Patrizia in...

Toronto-based sales agent Syndicado Film Sales has acquired international rights to German director Caroline von der Tann’s Naples-set doc “The Gospel According to Ciretta” ahead of its world premiere at the Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Film Festival.

In “The Gospel According to Ciretta,” the titular character, Ciretta, is a young petty crook and occasional male prostitute who is deeply religious and cocooned in a fantasy world of adoration for a beloved statue of the Madonna. “Blessed with an extraordinary voice and performing talent, Ciretta decides to organize a big procession for his beloved Madonna and starts raising money by singing and performing on the streets and selling lighters,” the doc’s provided synopsis reads. But devastating news arrives. His makeshift home in a temporarily closed down theater in the historic center of Naples has been sold, and its new owner wants to turn it into yet another bed and breakfast...

Julian Bellamy, managing director of ITV Studios, has joined the board of governors of the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire, England.

ITV Studios is the production arm of U.K. media conglomerate ITV and with over 60 production labels is the largest producer in the U.K. It has production bases across the globe, including the U.S. It is known for dramas including “Mr. Bates Vs The Post Office,” “Gomorrah” and “Vigil” as well as reality shows such as “Love Island” and “The Voice.”

Before joining ITV Studios, Bellamy held roles at Discovery Networks International, where he was creative director and head of commissioning, Channel 4 and the BBC. He entered the industry as a current affairs producer/director.

“We are thrilled to welcome Julian Bellamy to the Nfts Board of Governors,” said Sophie Turner Laing, chair of the National Film and Television School. “His extensive experience and...

On February 23, 2024, Cohen Media Group released “Io Capitano” in the United States, Italy’s Oscar-nominated Best International Feature film directed by Matteo Garrone. The movie is a Homeric fairy tale that tells the adventurous journey of two young boys, Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), who leave Dakar to reach Europe. The 2024 Oscars contender has received widespread acclaim from critics, scoring a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The critics consensus reads, “A journey toward hope, ‘Io Capitano’ perambulates through the ravishing Saharan landscape encountering the most sublime and debased corners of humanity.” The castings, under the direction of Henri-Didier Njikam, took place on the African continent and features mostly newcomers. Read our full review round-up below.

See Watch our exciting interviews with 12 of the 20 Oscars 2024 acting nominees

Damon Wise of Deadline says, “Despite its technical elegance — and the film is near flawless in that respect — the...

Italy’s Best International Feature Oscar-nominated Io Capitano starts its U.S. run today in ten market on 21 screens, a bit wider than usual for Cohen Media Group but with Academy final voting just started, reviews are gold for the odyssey that director Matteo Garrone calls “a movie about human rights. About the rights of everybody to move, to look for a better life.”

That’s the quest of teenage cousins Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), who live in a close-knit village in Senegal. They’re not starving, not in danger. They are poor, restless, want a shot at something better in Europe and are oblivious to the horrors along the way.

Sarr won Best Emerging Actor at the Venice premiere of the film, which marks the onscreen debut for both stars and the first acting role for Sarr, who, Deadline’s review says, “carries the whole movie...

Had first-time Senegalese actors Seydour Sarr and Moustapha Fall seen a Matteo Garrone film like “Gomorrah” before being scout-cast in his Italian Oscar nominee “Io Capitano,” they might’ve blinked twice. The 2008 film followed two teens from the Campania slums and into a life of organized crime, ending with them both dead in the mouth of a tractor. “Io Capitano” also follows two teens on a journey — here as African refugees making their way from Dakar to Europe in search of adventure — and as with Garrone’s crowning movie, the Italian filmmaker did not share the full script with his non-professional actors. In other words, Sarr and Fall, who in “Io Capitano” play cousins, had no idea whether their characters would survive the journey across the Mediterranean Sea.

Their voyage to Europe is marked by great danger and peril that Garrone masterfully stages and never dilutes — including a final scene...

Jane Campion is championing Matteo Garrone’s “Io Capitano,” which is Italy’s Oscar-nominated contender for best international feature film.

The movie narrates the Homeric journey of two two Senegalese teenagers, Seydou and Moussa, who decide to leave Dakar to reach Europe in pursuit of a better life. It realistically depicts their plight through the pitfalls of the desert, the horrors of detention centers in Libya and the dangers of the sea.

In Variety‘s review, critic Guy Lodge called “Io Capitano” the director’s “most robust, purely satisfying filmmaking since [his] international breakthrough with ‘Gomorrah’ 15 years ago.” The drama, which at the Venice Film Festival won best director and best emerging actor for its co-star Seydou Sarr is the strongest Italian Oscar contender in recent memory. The film, which also won best European film at San Sebastian, will be released in the U.S. on Feb. 23 by Cohen Media Group.

Matteo Garrone rose to international prominence with his gritty Mafia thriller Gomorrah (2008), depicting Naples as a hellish war zone. His latest endeavor, Io Capitano earned him the Silver Lion for Best Director at Venice, is a scorching topical drama that provides a unique perspective on Italy, seen through the eyes of outsiders who perceive it as the beacon at the end of a dark and twisted tunnel. The narrative follows a young protagonist lured by the allure of Europe, abandoning the warmth of his domestic life and congenial community to embark on a journey that unveils the harsh reality that the grass on the other side is not always greener. The tale meticulously traces the migrants’ hardships and injustices, unfurling a merciless portrayal of what people inflict upon those they see as helpless. Through the lens of two Senegalese teenagers, the film exposes the punishing process of illegal migration, delving...