John Turturro and Michael Emerson to star in 'The Name of the Rose', a limited murder mystery series
AMC Network's SundanceTV has acquired the rights to an upcoming murder mystery series, 'The Name of the Rose', based on the highly acclaimed 1980 novel by Umberto Eco. The international limited series will be co-produced by the Tele München Group, Paolmar, 11 Marzo Film and is also joined by Sundance Now and RAI.
Currently in production in Italy, the drama boasts an absolutely star-studded cast including the Emmy Award-winning John Turturro and Michael Emerson. In addition to these two, actors Rupert Everett, Damian Hardung, Sebastian Koch, James Cosmo, Richard Sammel, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, and Greta Scarano are also on board to star in the series.
Based on the best-selling book by the Italian author — which has sold over 50 million copies worldwide since being published — the plot of the series is, however, set in 1327's Italy. Turturro plays the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville while Hardung stars as his novice Adso von Melk in the show. When the two take shelter at a secluded monastery in the Alps, some unforeseen incidents go down including a series of mysterious murders.
Having become witness to the tragic incident, Baskerville and Melk take it upon themseves to investigate the murders. The drama, however, takes a turn when the pair themselves are hunted by Bernard Gui (Everett), a merciless inquisitor who has no ptience for those who criticize the pope. “William of Baskerville is nothing less than a medieval Sherlock Holmes," Jan Diedrichsen, General Manager of SundanceTV and Sundance Now said, dishing on the forthcoming limited series.
He continued: "The story is beloved because it combines the best of serialized crime drama – in the vein of SundanceTV’s TOP OF THE LAKE – with a dramatic, wildly visual setting rarely depicted on television. A smart, thrilling story, coupled with and extremely high production values, makes this project a perfect fit for our linear network and streaming service – it’s exactly what our discerning audience craves.”
While Tinny Andreatta, Head of Drama at RAI Fiction, added: "It is the Italian Renaissance that makes its mark on all markets: Italian stories, made in Italy, but which have the ability to speak globally."
Giacomo Battiato co-wrote the screenplay with Andrea Porporati and Nigel Williams, while also serving as the director of the series. TM International (TMG’s sales unit), will be handling the worldwide distribution of the series.