ROME — Netflix has announced that principal photography started in Rome this week on its first Italian original series, “Suburra,” about present-day ties between organized crime and politics in the Italian capital.
The first Italian production from Netflix is being produced by Cattleya, the prominent Italo shingle behind internationally exported TV series such as Sky Italia’s hit “Gomorrah” and “Romanzo Criminale” (“Crime Novel”).
The previously announced 10-episode series, touted as a captivating story that involves politics, the Vatican, the Mafia, corruption, money-laundering, drugs and prostitution, is being produced in tandem with Italian public service broadcaster Rai.
Rai will air “Suburra” on one of its generalist channels in Italy after it premieres globally on Netflix next year, according to a Netflix statement.
Rai’s film unit Rai Cinema and Cattleya also previously collaborated on a “Suburra” feature film directed by Stefano Sollima which was released last year in October via Rai Cinema’s 01 Distribution in Italian theatres and scored a handsome more than $5 million dollars locally.
Netflix released the “Suburra” movie in the U.S. and Latin America on its streaming service day-and-date with its Italian theatrical release.
The “Suburra” TV series will be directed by Michele Placido (“Crime Novel”) (pictured above), by Andrea Molaioli (“The Girl by the Lake”) and by Giuseppe Capotondi (“The Double Hour”). It is written by Daniele Cesarano and Barbara Petronio with Ezio Abbate, Fabrizio Bettelli and Nicola Guaglianone.
Like the film, it is based on a novel of the same name by Giancarlo De Cataldo and Carlo Bonini about a real scandal that emerged recently in the Italian capital. The scandal revolved around the criminal battle over Ostia, a seaside town outside of Rome which was being developed into a gambling paradise. The show, however, is a prequel set a few years prior to those events.
The characters in the film include a corrupt member of parliament, Filippo Malgradi, and a man known as Number 8, who is the head of a powerful family that runs the territory. There are also corrupt religious leaders and rival Mafiosi, including one known as Samurai” who heads the most feared faction in Roman organized crime.
The series’ cast will include Francesco Acquaroli (“Pasolini”) as Samurai; Alessandro Borghi (“Don’t Be Bad”) as Number 8; Adamo Dionisi as Manfredi Anacleti; Giacomo Ferrara as Spadino Anacleti; Claudia Gerini (“The Passion of the Christ,” “Don’t Move”) as Sara Monaschi; Filippo Nigro (“Facing Windows,” “A.C.A.B.”) as Amedeo Cinaglia; and Eduardo Valdarnini (“Something New”) as Lele Marchilli.
