International buyers have jumped on My Brilliant Friend, the Italian-language drama from HBO and Italy’s Rai Fiction, with Fremantle inking deals for more than 56 territories worldwide.
The project, based on the best-selling novel by Elena Ferrante, was snatched up by the likes of Canal+ for France and French-speaking Africa, Sky Atlantic for the U.K. and Foxtel for Australia. HBO’s own HBO Europe service will carry the series across Scandinavia, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe, while Turkey’s Digiturk, Hot in Israel, VRT in Belgium, SVT in Sweden and New Zealand’s TVNZ took My Brilliant Friend for their respective territories.
The series premiered last month at the Venice Film Festival. The story follows the lifelong friendship of two girls, Elena and Raffaella, who grow up in bitter poverty in Naples in the 1950s. The show is the first non-English language production from HBO’s main U.S. service.
An HBO, Rai Fiction and Timvision co-production, My Brilliant Friend was produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani of the Italian shingle Wildside (The Young Pope) and Domenico Procacci of Fandango, in co-production with Beligum’s Umedia. Saverio Costanzo directed. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are executive producers.
Fremantle is handling international sales of the series in association with Rai Com.
HBO is set to bow My Brilliant Friend stateside on Nov. 18.
