AMC’s Sundance joins The Name Of The Rose co-production

Germany’s Tele München Group has announced that AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and Sundance Now are coming on board the recently announced adaptation of Umberto Eco’s The Name Of The Rose.

Produced by 11 Marzo Film, Palomar and TMG, the limited series is already lined up to appear on RAI in Italy during 2019. Under the terms of the new deal, it will also air on SundanceTV in 2019 before going on to stream on Sundance Now in the US and Canada.

Eco’s most acclaimed novel, The Name Of The Rose has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1980. Set in Italy in 1327, it follows the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (to be played by John Turturro) and his novice Adso von Melk (Damian Hardung) as they arrive at a secluded monastery in the Alps. While there, they become caught up in a series of mysterious murders and set out to investigate who is behind them.

Herbert L. Kloiber (right), managing director of TMG and Tele München International, said: “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.”

Jan Diedrichsen, general manager, SundanceTV and Sundance Now, added: “William of Baskerville is nothing less than a medieval Sherlock Holmes. The story is beloved because it combines the best of serialised crime drama 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.”

The limited series is in production in Italy. TMG’s sales unit, TM International, is handling the worldwide distribution of the series.