SKY ANNOUNCES A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES ABOUT FRANCESCO TOTTI

Sky announced “Speravo De Mori’ Prima – The series about Francesco Totti” (working title), a Sky original series produced by Mario Gianani for Wildside, part of the Fremantle group, with Virginia Valsecchi’s Capri Entertainment, The New Life Company and Kwaï, based on the book “Un Capitano” by Francesco Totti and Paolo Condò, published by Rizzoli Libri S.p.A. Shooting will begin in the next few days in Rome.

“Speravo De Mori’ Prima – The Series About Francesco Totti” (working title) will be a six-episode narrative on the last two years of the legendary AS Roma number 10’s career. The story of the final phases of his long road with the “giallorossi” shirt, the only one worn for 27 years, and of a man who over the years became an emblem of Rome. A dramedy that combines the sports epic of the last authentic ace of Italian and international football, portrayed during that complex period before retirement – also featuring archive footage of the most thrilling moments of his career – with the private life of a brave but simple man, often self-deprecating and always so very Roman, deeply attached to his city and totally devoted to football.

The series will star Pietro Castellitto as Francesco Totti, will be directed by Luca Ribuoli and written by Stefano Bises, Michele Astori and Maurizio Careddu. Fremantle will handle the international distribution of the show.

“Francesco Totti, a unique champion who took the world by storm with a ball between his feet, winning over football lovers and the general public. A youngster who became a sports phenomenon with talent and devotion, capable of talking to people of all kinds, so much so that he eventually becomes a social phenomenon. With this project, in conjunction with Wildside, we want to produce something deep-rooted in Sky’s DNA: to offer an alternative point of view. Thanks to a remarkably talented cast and a script effective in keeping together the irony of the man and the epicness of the athlete, the series will allow us to see the human side of Francesco Totti: as important, engaging and phenomenal as the artist of football everyone had the chance to admire,”  stated Nicola Maccanico, Executive Vice President Programming at Sky Italia.

Mario Gianani, CEO of Wildside, stated: “We’re delighted to bring to the screen this series dedicated to Francesco Totti and his farewell to football, a moment in the history of sport, and not only, that has become part of the collective imagination. Narrating the lives of figures that made sports history in the TV series format is a type of challenge that is becoming increasingly widespread. It’s a type of narrative that touches audiences emotionally, beyond the account of athletic achievements. In the hope that we can live up to the task, we’ve engaged a top-notch creative team, with scriptwriters Stefano Bises, Michele Astori and Maurizio Careddu and director Luca Ribuoli, who will work with a cast of young but already highly respected actors”.