After recently hosting Michael Bay’s big-budget actioner “6 Underground” and George Clooney-directed series “Catch 22,” Rome’s Cinecittà Studios is set to welcome several more productions with Hollywood ties.
The next one is Netflix witchcraft series “Luna Nera,” helmed by a trio of Italian women: Francesca Comencini (“Gomorra”), Susanna Nicchiarelli (“Nico, 1988”) and Paola Randi (“Little Tito and the Aliens”). Domenico Procacci’s Fandango is producing for the U.S. streaming giant. “Luna” is Netflix’s third Italian original.
Cattleya and ITV’s upcoming Ancient Rome origins skein, “Domina,” will also be setting up camp on the backlot of the revamped studios, Variety has learned.
At a presentation Friday for international producers in Cannes, Luce Cinecittà president Roberto Cicutto said the sprawling facilities are on track to complete their refurbishment plan, which entails three new sound stages, including a nearly completed green-screen stage, and a tank for indoor and outdoor underwater filming. The ancient Rome set, partly destroyed in a fire, is also being rebuilt.
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“We’ve promised to invest in these studios, and we are keeping our word,” Italian Deputy Culture Minister Lucia Borgonzoni said at the presentation. She added that requests from international productions to tap into the country’s tax-credit incentives, which were recently upped to 30% of eligible production costs, with a €20 million ($22.7 million) cap, have been “flowing in” at a steady rate. A culture ministry official said U.S. projects account for the bulk of nearly $20 million in Italian tax credits that will soon be allocated.
Palme d’Or winner Jane Campion, and two Cannes directors doing jury duty this year, Alice Rohrwacher and Jonas Carpignano, stopped by in a show of support.
Cinecittà’s relaunch is the central plank of Italy’s concerted effort to regain cinematic glory and a prominent spot on the global entertainment industry map.
Italian productions currently shooting at Cinecittà include Matteo Garrone’s live-action “Pinocchio” and Sergio Castellitto-directed “Un Drago a Forma di Nuvola,” based on a script by late auteur Ettore Scola, produced by Rodeo Drive and France’s Mon Voisin Prods., with a cast including Berenice Bejo.