Ed Westwick, John Hannah and Alanah Bloor Join Can Yaman in ‘Sandokan’

Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”), John Hannah (“The Mummy”) and British newcomer Alanah Bloor will join Turkish lead Can Yaman in “Sandokan,” Lux Vide’s reboot of the Italian cult TV series about the adventures of the titular pirate who fights with his motley crew against the colonial powers in Southeast Asia.

Filming starts April 22 outside Rome for this high-quality reboot of Italian writer Emilio Salgari’s exotic epic. The original ‘Sandokan’, directed in 1976 by Sergio Sollima, catapulted Indian actor Kabir Bedi to Bollywood stardom after being sold to more than 85 countries around the world.

Fremantle-owned Lux ​​Vide’s new twist on the legendary “Sandokan” IP is based on an idea by Lux Vide CEO Luca Bernabei, developed for TV by Alessandro Sermoneta (“Devils”); Scott Rosenbaum (“The Shield”); Davide Lantieri (“Monterossi”) and directed by Jan Maria Michelini (“Devils”) and Nicola Abbatangelo (“Doc”).

In an unusual arrangement, “Sandokan” will be broadcast on Italian state broadcaster RAI’s flagship RAI1 station and distributed globally by Fremantle, with the exception of one territory. In Spain, the show’s distributor is the Berlusconi-controlled Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group.

“Sandokan” is set in the mid-19th century on the island of Borneo, where the indigenous Dayak tribes are dominated by ruthless British “at the height of their colonial power,” as the included synopsis puts it.

The new “Sandokan” is also described as a grand epic with a strong ecological angle.

Initially, Sandokan (Yaman) simply carries on with his pirate business without taking sides, leading his motley crew, including trusted sidekick Yanez de Gomera, played by Italian A-lister Alessandro Preziosi (“The Lying Life of Adults”). Everything changes during a raid when Sandokan crosses paths with Marianne (Bloor), the daughter of the British consul, and runs away. Pirate hunter Lord James Brooke, played by Westwick, will be hot on their trail. The “Gossip Girl” star is the protagonist’s antagonist “who will stop at nothing to conquer Sandokan and win Marianne’s heart,” according to the synopsis.

Madeleine Price (‘Geek Girl’) is also joining the cast of ‘Sandokan’; Gilberto Gliozzi (“I delitti del Barlume”); Mark Grosy (“Zero Zero Zero”) and Samuele Segreto (“Stranizza d’amuri”).

“We are very proud to bring the iconic ‘Sandokan’ saga back to Italian homes,” Bernabei said in a statement. “In recent years we have been working on an international project that would strengthen Emilio Salgari’s intellectual property in a contemporary way.”

RAI head of drama Maria Pia Ammirati underlined that “Sandokan is a mythical character who marks the history of RAI.”

Jens Richter, CEO Commercial and International at Fremantle, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Lux Vide and Rai Fiction on this exciting and ambitious reinterpretation of a beloved saga for new audiences around the world.”

Filming of the show will begin in Formello, outside Rome, where the “Sandokan” set will inaugurate the new Theater 7 at Lux Vide’s own production center. The “Sandokan” shoot will also take place in the Lazio region, in Tuscany, on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean and in the evocative Southern Calabria region of Italy, where the English colony of Labuan in Lamezia Terme has been recreated with the support of the Calabria Movie. Commission.