Munich / New York, May 21, 2018 – Tele München Group (TMG) and AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and Sundance Now have announced a partnership on the major television event,
THE NAME OF THE ROSE, produced by 11 Marzo Film, Palomar and TMG in co-production with SundanceTV and RAI Fiction. The limited series will launch in 2019 on RAI in Italy and SundanceTV in the US, and will stream on Sundance Now in the US and Canada.
THE NAME OF THE ROSE is based on Umberto Eco’s highly acclaimed novel which has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1980. The limited series is led by an all-star cast including Emmy Award® winner John Turturro (“The Night Of”), Emmy Award® winner Michael Emerson (“Lost,” “Person of Interest”), Golden Globe® nominee Rupert Everett (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), Damian Hardung (“Red Band Society”), Sebastian Koch (“Homeland”), James Cosmo (“Game of Thrones”), Richard Sammel (“Inglourious Basterds”), Fabrizio Bentivoglio (“Human Capital”) and Greta Scarano (“In Treatment”).
Set in Italy in 1327, THE NAME OF THE ROSE follows the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (Turturro) and his novice Adso von Melk (Hardung) as they arrive at a secluded monastery in the Alps. There they become witnesses to a series of mysterious murders. While Baskerville and Melk investigate and search for the killer, they are hunted themselves by the merciless inquisitor Bernard Gui (Everett), who prosecutes those who criticize the pope.
Herbert L. Kloiber, Managing Director of Tele München Group and Tele München International: “We are thrilled to work with the AMC Networks family — on THE NAME OF THE ROSE. Umberto Eco’s masterpiece hasn’t lost any of its fascination since it was first published and we are very much looking forward to bringing this authentic and multi-layered vision of Eco’s unparalleled novel to audiences around the world.”
“SundanceTV and Sundance Now are proud to join Tele München Group on THE NAME OF THE ROSE, an entertaining murder mystery full of twists and turns, brought to life with first class talent in front of and behind the camera,” said Jan Diedrichsen, General Manager, SundanceTV and Sundance Now. “William of Baskerville is nothing less than a medieval Sherlock Holmes. 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.”
Tinny Andreatta, Head of Drama at RAI Fiction says: “We are proud to be a part of such great international co-production that will bring THE NAME OF THE ROSE to the global TV audience in 2019. From Umberto Eco’s best-selling novel that sets a story of incredible contemporaneity in the Middle-Age, this project has the ability to impact the most diverse audience. This is a new milestone for ‘made in Italy’ fiction and for the editorial line of Rai Fiction which consolidates in this way the recent trend of opening up towards international markets. 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. RAI Fiction is delighted to co-produce with AMC Networks, TMG Group, 21 Marzo Film and Palomar such an ambitious project of the highest quality standards from the cast to the script and from the mise en scene to the cinematography.”
Nicola Serra, Managing Director and Partner of Palomar: “AMC Networks, and especially SUNDANCE TV and SUNDANCE NOW, are synonymous with quality, creativity and very high standards in serialised drama, which is something the public knows very well. We are excited and delighted: this is the ideal partner for our story which will surprise, astonish, amaze and entertain their audience.”
The limited series is in production in Italy. TMG’s sales unit, TM International, handles the worldwide distribution of the series.
The screenplay was written by Andrea Porporati (“Il dolce e l’amaro”, “La Piovra”) and Emmy Award® winner Nigel Williams. The award winning Italian filmmaker Giacomo Battiato (“L’infiltré”, “Karol: A Man Who Became Pope”) co-wrote, with Emmy Award® winner John Turturro (“The Night Of”), the screenplay and directs the series. The award winning John Conroy (“Luther,” “Penny Dreadful”) is director of phtography. The costume designer is Academy Award® nominee Maurizio Millenotti (“Passion of Christ”) and Emmy Award® nominee Francesco Frigeri (“Medici,” “The Legend of 1900”) is responsible for the production design.
About Tele München Group:
Tele München Group (TMG) was founded in 1970 as a TV production company. Today, it is an integrated media company, which has been operating successfully in the market for over 45 years and combines all segments of audio-visual rights’ trading and distribution under one roof. Over the years, the production company has developed into a group of companies, which today are among the content providers of the next generation. With some 3,200 active titles in its program portfolio, TMG is one of the largest license trading companies in Europe and one of the most respected players in the international market.
Through its subsidiaries, TMG has a presence in various segments of the media industry, including film and television production as well as distribution arms in the theatrical, home entertainment, TV and VOD segments. Since 2017 TMG runs its first own VOD-Channel FILMTASTIC on Amazon Prime Video’s platform Amazon Channels and on Rakuten TV. TMG is a shareholder in the national free-to-air TV channels TELE 5 and RTL II in Germany, in the leading US-based production company Storied Media Group and in the digital production and distribution company Load Studios. In addition, TMG is majority shareholder in the publicly quoted production company Odeon Film AG.
For further information, please visit www.tmg.de; www.tminternational.de
About SundanceTV
Since its launch in 1996, SundanceTV has remained true to founder Robert Redford’s mission to celebrate creativity and distinctive storytelling through unique voices and narratives found in the best independent films. From delivering critically acclaimed Emmy®, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winning television featuring some of the world’s most talented creators and performers, to showcasing some of the most compelling and iconic films across genres and generations, SundanceTV is a smart and thought-provoking entertainment destination. SundanceTV is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.; its sister networks include AMC, IFC, BBC America and WE tv. SundanceTV is available across all platforms, including on-air, online at www.sundancetv.com, on demand and mobile.
About Sundance Now
Sundance Now is AMC Networks’ premium streaming service, offering original and exclusive dramas, comedies, and true crime series, in addition to award-winning movies from every genre, including foreign-language and documentary features – all streaming commercial-free. Built on the Sundance legacy and curated by acclaimed filmmakers and cultural icons, Sundance Now is proud to present an extensive array of entertainment for a passionate and intellectually curious audience.
Follow Sundance Now on Twitter@sundance_now, Facebook@SundanceNow, Instagram@SundanceNow and YouTube@Sundance Now