What's The Plot Of My Brilliant Friend?
Based on the first of Elena Ferrante's celebrated, best-selling Neapolitan Novels, the eight-episode series of the same name is set in '50s Naples and follows the complicated friendship and lives of two girls, Elena (who narrates) and Lila, growing up in a tough but vibrant community on the outskirts of the city. The four books together span over 60 years of the characters' lives, and the first begins with Elena as an elderly woman, telling the story of her relationship with Lila - who has apparently disappeared.
The dialogue will be in Italian, mostly of the Neapolitan dialect from the place and era in which it is set, and subtitled.
Who's In The Cast Of My Brilliant Friend?
The leads are all newcomers. Elena and Lila as children will be played by Elisa Del Genio (11) and Ludovica Nasti (12), then Margherita Mazzucco (16) and Gaia Girace (15) will take the roles as the characters grow into their teenage years. The girls were chosen following a casting search of 9,000 children and 500 adults, according to Vulture, with only Gaia having previous acting experience.
Why Should We Be Excited About My Brilliant Friend?
Fortunately for fans of the novels, Ferrante is on board as one of the screenwriters of the series, which Saverio Costanzo directs. As she published under a pseudonym, the writer had contact with the director only via email, says WSJ. If the much-loved story - the novels penned by Ferrante have won her plaudits as one of Italy's greatest storytellers - wasn't enough of a draw, the production team is determined to do the book justice. Filmed in Caserta, just outside Naples, there were "215,000 square feet of sets erected for the production, which included a reported 14 exterior apartment buildings, five interior sets of apartments, a church, and a tunnel. Not to mention, 1,500 original costumes," reports W.
When Will My Brilliant Friend Be On TV?
The HBO series will air in the UK on Sky Atlantic from November 19.
