The Split Being Adapted in Italy

BBC Studios has signed a scripted format agreement with the Italian production company Palomar for a local adaptation of the critically acclaimed drama The Split.

Locally titled Studio Battaglia, the format has been adapted by Lisa Nur Sultan (On My Skin) and is directed by Simone Spada (Hotel Gagarin). The three sisters will be played by Barbora Bobulova (Cuore Sacro/Sacred Heart), Miriam Dalmazio (Anna) and Marina Occhionero (Monterossi).

Lunetta Savino (Saturn In Opposition) plays their mother, and Massimo Ghini (The New Pope) will play their father. The cast also features Thomas Trabacchi (Nico, 1988) and Giorgio Marchesi (Medici).

The 6×1-hour Italian series will be produced by Palomar with Tempesta Film in collaboration with Rai Fiction.

The Emmy- and BAFTA Award-winning original U.K. series comes from Abi Morgan (River, Suffragette, The Hour) and was broadcast in the U.K. on BBC One and co-produced with Sundance TV in the U.S. It was produced by Sister.

Italy marks the third market to license the format. The Turkish production company MF Yapim, is adapting the series as Evlilik Hakkinda Her Sey (All About Marriage) for the free-to-air FOX channel in Turkey. Korean broadcaster JTBC licensed the format in 2020.

André Renaud, senior VP of global format sales at BBC Studios, said: “The Split is a moving and compelling study of the universal themes of love, marriage and divorce—all of which audiences around the world will no doubt be able to relate. It’s a privilege for us that Palomar and Rai Fiction have chosen The Split as their next project, and I eagerly look forward to how they, the key talent and the creative teams will explore this series for Italian audiences next year.”

Marco Camilli, head of content at Palomar, said: “Working on one of the most successful series of another European country is always a complex and excellent challenge. And with a series written by Abi Morgan and aired by BBC, this is more than just a challenge, it is a huge responsibility. Thanks to the fantastic job of our talents and thanks to the precious collaboration with Rai Fiction, which—like all of us at Palomar—has firmly believed in the project from the very beginning, we are more than confident that the Italian audience will love Studio Battaglia, its characters and its world.”