After the casting for Lila and Lenù, the two young leading actresses of L’amica geniale, filming will start next August. The eight-episode TV series, an adaptation of Elena Ferrante same title best selling published by e/o will be directed by Saverio Costanzo. Produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, L’amica geniale is an original series HBO-RAI, screenplayed by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo and Laura Paolucci; executive producer for Wildside and Fandango Jennifer Schuur and international distributor Fremantle Media.
Casey Bloys, President of HBO Programming, declared:” We are very excited for this collaboration with Wildside, Rai and Fandango to bring the powerful and epic story-telling of Elena Ferrante and her saga L’amica geniale to life. Through the characters of Elena and Lila we will go into a longlife friendship that develops on the background of a fascinating network of social relations in the town of Naples. This ambitious story, which explores the complex intensity of female friendship will certainly capture the attention and the hearts of HBO audience“.
Rai Director General Antonio Campo Dall’Orto welcomed the first collaboration with HBO for this ambitious international project that, “together with Italian producers that already boast a strong international reputation such as Wildside and Fandango, represents an important step forward for the export of Italian fiction. A strategy based on quality and market, focused on Italian creativity and talent and on the high professionalism we reached in the creation and production of tv series”.
Lorenzo Mieli, Ceo of WILDSIDE, underlined that “producing a series based on the incredible work of Elena Ferrante has been an exciting challenge. Through the eyes and lives of two extraordinary friends, her four volume saga tells half a century of Italian history, touching upon universal themes and feelings. We are extremely proud, with Fandango, for having gathered two such partners as HBO and RAI in a series which is deeply Italian but at the same time aimed at a global audience. A project that will step forward original Italian production and will affirm Wildside international vocation”.
Finally, Domenico Procacci, Sole Director of Fandango, added that ” Also from the production viewpoint, this is a beautiful story. We are working very well with Wildside and RAI, a company which is changing and is daring more and more also from en editorial point of view. It is exciting to have also HBO in the production group: they have done some of the best series ever and their presence proves an absolute focus on quality. This focus has been confirmed by the choice of the director, Saverio Costanzo. We want to offer a higher quality to as many viewers as possible. And this is exactly what Elena Ferrante has wonderfully done with her novels”
