'M. Son of the Century': Luca Marinelli to play Mussolini in Joe Wright's next
Oct 19, 2022
Washington [US], October 19 : 'The Eight Mountains' star Luca Marinelli will be portraying the role of Benito Mussolini in Joe Wright's next 'M. Son of the Century'.
According to Deadline, the eight-part drama, based on best-selling author and historian Antonio Scurati's work M, which charts the ascent of the fascist dictator, begins filming this week at Rome's Cinecitta studios. The casting was announced at a presentation of the drama at the Rome Film Festival on Tuesday.
For his work in Pietro Marcello's Jack London adaptation Martin Eden, Marinelli, a former European Shooting Star at the Berlinale, earned the Coppa Volpi award for best actor in Venice in 2020. He also received praise for the film They Call Me Jeeg, for which he was awarded the 2016 Davide Di Donatello in Italy.
As per the reports of Deadline, his most recent appearance was in the Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains, directed by Felix van Groeningen and written by Charlotte Vandemeersch and set in a lonely mountain region and focusing on the lifelong friendship of two friends from different backgrounds.
M. Son of the Century is made in partnership with French mini-major Pathe by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli at Rome-based The Apartment Pictures, a Fremantle subsidiary.
The series will cover the years from 1919, when Fasci Italiani was founded, to 1925, when socialist MP Giacomo Matteotti was assassinated, when Mussolini gave his infamous statement in parliament.
According to Deadline, every event, character, line of dialogue, and utterance from that time period will be accurately portrayed and supported by a variety of sources.
The drama will also provide details about Mussolini's personal relationships, including those with his wife Rachele, his lover Margherita Sarfatti, and other well-known historical figures.
The adaptation's writers are Davide Serino and Stefano Bises (Gomorrah, The New Pope, ZeroZeroZero, Speravo de mor prime) (1992, 1993, Il Re, Esterno Notte).
