Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan,” “The Shrouds”) and Caterina Murino (“Casino Royal”) will show off their acting range in “The Opera!,” an €11 million film starring famed opera singers Mariam Battistelli and Rame Lahaj.
Pulsar Content is repping the hot project which is produced by Showlab and RAI Cinema, with Dolce&Gabbana on board to co-produce and design the costumes.
“The Opera!” is based on a modern version of the famous Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and will be directed by longtime opera partners Davide Livermore and Paolo Gep Cucco who are the only ones to have presented the world premiere of La Scala four times in a row. The movie, teased by Pulsar at the Cannes Market, showcases different musical references spanning from opera, pop and electro.
Longtime opera partners Davide Livermore and Paolo Gep Cucco are directing the film. The pair have broken records as they have presented the world premiere of La Scala four times in a row. Davide is the director of the Teatro Nazionale in Genoa, while Gep Cucco is the creative director of the entertainment design company D-wok and for 10 years creative director of Prodea Group.
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In the modern adaptation of the myth, Eurydice dies from a gun fire on her wedding day. Orpheus, devastated by the loss of his beloved, will pursue a quest to Hadesʼ kingdom, more known as “hell”, embodied by the Grand Hades Hotel. In the search of his lover, Orpheus will encounter a lot of iconic characters and will have to face his deepest fears. Orpheus finds himself in a distorted reality rhythmed by the most famous operaʼ songs.
“This is the story of a cruel fate, of two heartbroken lovers, and of the journey of a man in the aerlife. This is the tale of all tales. The tale of Orpheus and Eurydice,” said the directors. “Orpheus will fight against Pluto, Proserpine, and their deceptions in an amazing kaleidoscopic musical where the most celebrated Opera arias breathe new life into the myth of Orpheus.” They described the project as “a journey inside the human soul.”
Over at Pulsar, Gilles Sousa and Marie Garrett, said, “Recent examples show us that independent films can still achieve great theatrical success when they offer a unique or outstanding experience.”
“Everything about ‘The Opera!’ is unique and outstanding: the directors, cast, musicians, technical ambition, coproducers and costume designers Dolce & Gabbana. Everyone in their role is the best at what they do. And we couldnʼt be more excited to bring this film to worldwide distributors,” added Sousa and Garrett.
Showlab, meanwhile, said it will be “an ambitious film that Showlab will produce by combining its technological know-how and the vision of eternal love expressed by Orpheus and Eurydice!”
“A project that directors Davide Livermore and Paolo Gep Cucco will know how to express with the emotional and involving intensity that belongs to the opera world. A film that will inspire all,” added Showlab.
The shooting is planned for the beginning of June and will mostly happen in Turin at the Prodea LED Studios Virtual Set facility where all the settings will be encrusted in the background. As part of their involvement, Dolce&Gabbana will host an exclusive fashion show of the brand with historic pieces of their creations will be featured in the film.
Pulsar Contentʼs Cannes slate also includes Mandalayʼs new thriller “The Patience of Vultures,” the period horror “The Damning of a Country Merchant” starring Peter Sarsgaard, Céline Saletteʼs first feature about Niki de Saint-Phalle, “Niki,” football female playerʼs biopic “Marinette,” and Easter animation “BIM.”
