Sundance TV Acquires Italian Crime Drama ‘Gomorrah’ From Weinstein Co.

Sundance TV is bringing “Italy’s answer to Breaking Bad” to stateside audiences.

The cable network has acquired the U.S. rights to the first two seasons of Gomorrah from The Weinstein Co., The Hollywood Reporter has learned. All told, the 12-episode run will premiere on Sundance in the summer.

Based on the best-selling book by journalist Roberto Saviano, the series ranks as Italy’s all-time most popular TV show. The novel, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, inspired the 2008 feature film of the same name, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

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Set in the suburbs of Naples, Gomorrah tells the inside story of the Camorra, the fierce Neapolitan crime organization. It is told through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), the right hand of the clan’s godfather, Pietro Savastanno (Fortunato Cerlino).

The series, acquired by The Weinstein Co., debuted to record ratings in Italy in 2014. It is produced by Sky Atlantic, Cattleya and Fandango in association with La7 and Beta Film. Stefano Bises wrote and directed the series alongside Stefano Sollima, Francesca Comencini and Claudio Cupellini. It was developed for television by Giovanni Bianconi, Bises, Leonardo Fasoli, Ludovica Rampoldi and Saviano. TWC distributes the series.

For Sundance, Gomorrah joins a roster of scripted originals that includes Hap and Leonard, The Last Panthers, Cleverman, The A Word and the fourth and final season of Rectify. The cabler also recently broadcast two seasons of French drama The Returned, which was rebooted and canceled after one low-rated season on A&E.