Lux Vide Producing New Adaptation of Sandokan

Lux Vide, a Fremantle company, and Rai Fiction have partnered 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 by 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 their trail and will stop at nothing to capture Sandokan and win Marianne’s heart.

The cast for the series 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 is set to begin on April 22 in Formello and continue between Lazio, Tuscany, Reunion Island and Calabria, where the English colony of Labuan in Lamezia Terme has been built, 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 by Luca Bernabei, CEO of Lux Vide.

Sandokan will air on Rai1 in Italy and will be distributed internationally by Fremantle and in Spain by Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group.

“We are very proud to bring the iconic Sandokan saga back into the homes of Italians,” Bernabei said. “Over the past few years, we have worked to create an international project that would enhance Emilio Salgari’s IP through a contemporary way. I thank Rai Fiction and Fremantle International, who believed in this project and in our desire to gather the whole family in front of the TV! I am sure that the direction of Jan Michelini and Nicola Abbatangelo will give back a unique style to the series, giving new life to the most famous pirate of Borneo. Thanks to a talented cast and scripts by headwriter Alessandro Sermoneta, we will explore faraway places, dream and thrill as we do with great Lux stories!”

“Sandokan is a myth character that marks the history of Rai,” commented Maria Pia Ammirati, Rai Fiction director. “From the imagination of Emilio Salgari, this hero has passed into the images of a scripted drama that audiences have never forgotten. We are therefore happy and proud to bring back to the screen one of the great protagonists of our imagination.”

Jens Richter, CEO of commercial and international at Fremantle, added, “We are excited to be partnering with Lux Vide and Rai Fiction on this exciting and ambitious reimagining of a well-loved saga for new audiences across the globe.”