HBO Nordic pre-buys Gomorrah TV remake

HBO Nordic has pre-bought Gomorrah, a new Italian mafia drama based on the much acclaimed novel of the same name from investigative journalist Roberto Saviano.

The 12x50mins series is currently in production in Naples, in the same mafia stronghold that the 2008 Grand Prix-winning movie of the same name shot.

It comes from the same team behind previous Italian-language crime series Romanzo Criminale – Rome prodco Cattelya; Germany’s Beta Film, which is coproducing and distributing; Sky Cinema; Fandango; La 7; and Sky Italia.

The series will launch internationally next month in Cannes but has already shopped to HBO Nordic and into the Benelux region, Beta’s managing director Eric Welbers exclusively told TBI. “We’re also far down the line in negotiations in the UK, which is something.” It is understood BBC Four and BSkyB, both of which broadcast foreign language dramas, are in the frame.

Deals are also on the cards in Germany, where discussions are underway and an offer from a French pay TV channel is on the table. “It’s great for any channel that wants to be like a HBO or a Showtime because it adds something that does not come from the US but can very easily co-exist next to Dexter or Borgias,” said Welbers.

Read exclusive interviews with Welbers, Gomorrah director Stefano Sollima and creator Roberto Saviano in TBI’s MIPCOM magazine.