Sky and Fremantle have released the first teaser-trailer for “M – Son of the Century,” the hotly anticipated series about Benito Mussolini’s rise to power that will launch from the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
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The kaleidoscopic eight-episode show is helmed by Joe Wright, the British director of Winston Churchill drama “Darkest Hour” – which earned Gary Oldman an Oscar for his portrayal as the British prime minister – and also of “Atonement,” among other titles.
The pulsating “M” soundtrack is composed by Tom Rowlands, also known for being part of pioneering British electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers.
“You can play with the aesthetics and the form of the piece. The score is going to be this kind of techno score,” Wright told Variety last year on set at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, where the show was shot entirely. “And the aesthetics are a kind of mashup between ’90s rave culture and ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ [the 1929 seminal avant-garde doc by Dziga Vertov], a great Ukrainian film. It’s ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ and every gangster movie you’ve ever seen.”
Luca Marinelli (“The Eight Mountains,” “Martin Eden”) plays Mussolini 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 following the murder of socialist MP Giacomo Matteotti. The series will also provide viewers with an insight into Mussolini and his personal relationships, including with his wife Rachele, his lover Margherita Sarfatti and other iconic figures from the time, according to the provided synopsis.
“M” is based on Antonio Scurati’s eponymous Premio Strega-winning and international bestselling novel which traces the birth of fascism in Italy and Mussolini’s ascent with an innovative approach. The script is written by Stefano Bises (“Gomorrah,” “The New Pope”) in collaboration with Davide Serino (“1992”).
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Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera recently told Variety that having a British director, rather than an Italian one, tackle this material “is an advantage, in that it makes it a somewhat more objective look at what happened during those years.”
All eight of the “M – Son of the Century” episodes will world premiere at Venice.
Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli for Fremantle-owned The Apartment Pictures produced “M” in coproduction with Pathé, and in association with Small Forward. The show will launch in 2025 on Sky in its European territories (U.K., Ireland Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland) with Fremantle handling international sales.
Watch the trailer for “M” above.
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