The first photos showing Luca Marinelli in the role of Benito Mussolini have been released from the newly inaugurated set of M. Son of the Century in Rome.
The actor leads the cast of the brand-new Sky Original TV series based on the on the Premio Strega-winning and international bestselling book of the same name by Antonio Scurati which chronicles the birth of fascism in Italy and the Duce Benito Mussolini’s rise to power.
Nominated five times for the David di Donatello awards – including the nomination that won him the award for They Call Me Jeeg Robot, a film that also saw him win the Nastro d’Argento Award – Marinelli is one of the most respected actors in Italy. He is also the winner of the Coppa Volpi for best actor at the Venice Film Festival for Martin Eden and the prestigious Shooting Stars Award at the Berlin Festival.
The filming of the eight episodes of M. Son of the Century, is underway in Rome. The series is directed by Joe Wright and produced by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment Pictures, a Fremantle company, in collaboration with Pathé.
The 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. It 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. Like the 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.
Written by Stefano Bises (Gomorrah – The series, The New Pope, ZeroZeroZero, Speravo de morì prima) and Davide Serino (1992, 1993, Il Re, Esterno Notte), the series will tell the events with historical accuracy, with every event, character, dialogue and speech documented or witnessed by multiple sources.
M. Son of the Century will be shown exclusively on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in all of Sky’s markets in Europe. Fremantle will handle international distribution of the series.
