Lux Vide producing a new adaptation of Sandokan
Lux Vide, a Fremantle company, and Rai Fiction have teamed up to produce Sandokan, a new adaptation of Emilio Salgari’s pirate adventure saga.
Taking place in Borneo in the mid-1800s, where the native Dayak tribes continue to live according to their ancient traditions while being dominated by the ruthless British at the height of their colonial power, the series centers on the pirate Sandokan, whose life changes when he meets the beautiful daughter of a British consul during a raid.
The two begin an impossible love affair, while pirate hunter Lord James Brooke is hot on her trail and will stop at nothing to capture Sandokan and win Marianne’s heart.
The series cast includes newcomer Alanah Blood, Can Yaman, Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl, The Children of Men), Alessandro Preziosi (The Doctors, Black Out, The Lying Lives of Adults), John Hannah (The Last of Us, Four). Weddings and a Funeral, Sliding Doors, The Mummy), Madeleine Price, Gilberto Gliozzi (Them, I delitti del Barlume), Mark Grosy (Zero Zero Zero) and Samuele Segreto (Stranizza d’amuri, The Hour).
Filming will begin on April 22nd in Formello and will continue between Lazio, Tuscany, the island of Reunion and Calabria, where the English colony of Labuan has been built in Lamezia Terme, with the support of the Film Commission and the Region of Calabria.
Sandokan is developed for television by Alessandro Sermoneta, Scott Rosenbaum and Davide Lantieri and directed by Jan Maria Michelini and Nicola Abbatangelo. It is based on an idea of Luca Bernabei, CEO of Lux Vide.
Sandokan will air on Rai1 in Italy and will be distributed internationally by Fremantle and in Spain by Grup Mediterráneo Mediaset España.
“We are very proud to bring the iconic Sandokan saga into the homes of Italians,” said Bernabei. “Over the past few years, we have worked to create an international project that would enhance Emilio Salgari’s IP in a contemporary way. I thank Rai Fiction and Fremantle International, who believed in this project and in our desire to bring the whole family together in front of the TV! I am sure that the direction of Jan Michelini and Nicola Abbatangelo will bring a unique style back to the series, giving new life to Borneo’s most famous pirate. Thanks to a talented cast and scripts by director Alessandro Sermoneta, we’ll explore faraway places, dream and thrill as we do with Lux’s great stories!”
“Sandokan is a mythical character that marks the history of Rai,” commented Maria Pia Ammirati, director of Rai Fiction. “From the imagination of Emilio Salgari, this hero has passed into the images of a scripted drama that the public has never forgotten. Therefore, we are happy and proud to return to the screen one of the great protagonists of our imagination”.
Jens Richter, Fremantle General Manager Commercial & International, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Lux Vide and Rai Fiction on this exciting and ambitious re-imagining of a much-loved saga for new audiences around the world” .
