Lux Vide, the Italian producer behind Sky series Devils and the upcoming Leonardo, is rebooting the pirate story Sandokan and is launching a podcast unit.
The Luca Bernabei-led company plans to reimagine Emilio Salgari’s novels, on which a 1976 Sandokan TV series was based, for a modern audience. The story chronicles the adventures of a 19th-century pirate fighting against the colonial power of the Dutch and British empires in South East Asia.
Lux Vide plans to shoot next year and has cast Turkish actor Can Yaman (Daydream) as Sandokan and Italy’s Luca Argentero (DOC) as fellow pirate Yanez. Yaman is already limbering up for the role, according to an update on his Instagram, where he has nearly 8M followers.
Sandokan is written by Alessandro Sermoneta (Devils) and Davide Lantieri (The Guest). It will also spotlight strong female characters, such as Lady Marianna, who is yet to be cast.
Separately, Lux Vide also announced the creation of a podcast division, which will bid to take advantage of an audio boom in Italy during the pandemic. It has partnered with RTL to bring projects to the airwaves.
Early developments include the crime podcast Alleghe, inspired by the true story behind the Alleghe mysteries, a series of murders that took place between 1933 and 1946 near the lake of the same name in the Veneto region. It is written by Elena Bucaccio and Carlo Lucarelli is in talks to narrate.
Lux Vide has also said it will work with showrunners Elena Bucaccio, Francesco Arlanch, Mario Ruggeri, and Umberto Gnoli on projects, while Argentero is among those who have agreed to voice series.