or


[07/25/18 - 09:05 AM]
HBO, Rai Fiction and TIMVISION Series "My Brilliant Friend," Directed by Saverio Costanzo, Debuts This Fall
Casting for the show took place over a period of eight months, with almost 9,000 children and 500 adults from all over Campania auditioning.

[via press release from HBO]

HBO, RAI FICTION AND TIMVISION SERIES "MY BRILLIANT FRIEND," DIRECTED BY SAVERIO COSTANZO, DEBUTS THIS FALL

Show Is Based On The First Book Of Elena Ferrante's Bestselling Quadrilogy

An HBO-RAI FICTION And TIMVISION Production; Produced By Lorenzo Mieli And Mario Gianani For Wildside And By Domenico Procacci For Fandango In Co-Production With Umedia Production

Recently wrapping production in Caserta, Italy, the HBO, RAI FICTION and TIMVISION series MY BRILLIANT FRIEND debuts this fall. Based on Elena Ferrante's bestselling book of the same name, which is the first of her four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions, the eight-episode series is directed by Saverio Costanzo ("Private," "The Solitude of Prime Numbers," "Hungry Hearts").

Casting for the show took place over a period of eight months, with almost 9,000 children and 500 adults from all over Campania auditioning. The casting process included professional and non-professional actors, as well as students recruited from local schools. Newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti were chosen to portray the two lead roles of Elena and Lila as young children, while Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace played them as teenagers. In total, MY BRILLIANT FRIEND includes a cast of more than 150 actors and 5,000 extras.

The production's construction team of 150 crew members created 215,000 square feet of sets, which were built over 100 days. To recreate the neighborhood, the symbolic location of the story, they built 14 exterior apartment buildings, five interior sets of apartments, a church and a tunnel. The costume department gathered 1,500 costumes, many of which were original creations.

MY BRILLIANT FRIEND is an HBO, RAI FICTION and TIMVISION series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango in co-production with Umedia Production. All episodes directed by Saverio Costanzo. Story and screenplays by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Jennifer Schuur is the executive producer. FremantleMedia International will act as the international distributor.

Logline

When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship. She met Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives as she tries to describe the mystery of Lila, Elena's brilliant friend and - in a way - her best friend, and her worst enemy.

About Home Box Office

HBO(R) is one of the most respected and innovative entertainment brands in the world, serving iconic, award-winning programming to 142 million subscribers globally. A subsidiary of WarnerMedia, HBO is the world's most successful pay TV service with an extensive array of programming that includes some of the most notable titles to be on television including Game of Thrones(R), Big Little Lies(R), Westworld(R), The Sopranos(R), Sex and the City(R), Band of Brothers(R), and The Wire(R). In the United States, HBO(R) and sister network Cinemax(R) are available across multiple platforms including HBO On Demand(R), Cinemax On Demand(R), HBO GO(R) and MAX GO(R), as well as HBO NOW(R). Internationally, HBO branded services, including television networks and the standalone streaming product HBO GO(R), are available in more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. HBO and Cinemax programming is also sold into more than 150 countries worldwide.

About Rai Fiction

Rai Fiction is RAI's editorial management, in charge of the production of fiction for all the Italian public service networks. It is one of the most important European production companies with 200 million annual investments, and a production of more than 400 hours every year. In recent years, Rai Fiction has implemented a line for the creation of large international co-productions. Rai is the exclusive agency in Italy for public service television and radio broadcasting. The Rai Group is present on all media platforms with a vast free offer, differentiated according to genres and targets. Every day in Italy around 41,7 million persons aged 4 or over, a number that represents 71% of the country's population, follow Rai's offerings, including 13 DDTV channels, 6 of which also available in HD, and 10 radio stations. TV content is also available on the "Tiv� Sat" platform and other satellite systems, and on Rai Play.

About TIMVISION

TIMVISION is a company of the TIM Group involved in production and co-production projects of movies and TV series, in collaboration with the main players on the Italian and international market. The content produced increase the TIMVISION catalogue, TIM's TV on demand, which offers to its clients the most popular TV series, unreleased movies, cartoons, documentaries, and entertainment as first previews. With its 1.5 million costumers, TIMVISION is one of the main Italian streaming platforms. The TIM Group is the largest ICT company in Italy, providing services to enable the digital life of the country. TIM's offerings are based on high quality and the large-scale distribution of converged services and premium content, thanks to the development of an innovative ultra-broadband infrastructure.

About Wildside

Founded in 2009, the company has produced award-winning movies with talents such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Marco Bellocchio and Saverio Costanzo, competing in Europe's most renowned festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin), and has also accomplished a long streak of commercial hits. For TV, amongst other titles, Wildside has produced three seasons of the local adaptation of "In Treatment," "1992" and "1993," the debut in television of Academy Award(R)-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, "The Young Pope," starring Jude Law. Wildside is part of FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television brands in the world.

About Fandango

Domenico Procacci's Fandango was set up in 1989. Since then it has produced over 100 nation and international movies featured at several film festivals and winners of a number of awards, including two Jury Gran Prix prizes at Cannes with "Gomorrah" and "Reality," both directed by Matteo Garrone. Other directors the company has worked with in the years include Nanni Moretti, Paolo Sorrentino, Michelangelo Antonioni, Emir Kusturica, Rolf de Heer, Milcho Manchevski, Emanuele Crialese, Richard Lowenstein, Gabriele Muccino, Daniele Vicari, Luciano Ligabue and Ferzan Ozpetek. In addition, Fandango produces and develops TV series and TV movies, including "Gomorrah Season 1, 2 and 3," "Limbo" and "L'Oriana."





  [july 2018]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (HBO)





[08/07/25 - 09:35 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: Boston Red Sox Visit New York Yankees on August 24
With both teams in the MLB Postseason hunt, the matchup adds another chapter to baseball's most storied rivalry.

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Roku Originals Books a Return Trip with Second Season Renewal of "Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross"
With record-breaking viewership, the series has become the most-watched unscripted Roku Original within the first two weeks of launch in terms of unique viewers.

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" Season 2 Premieres Sept. 12 on Disney Channel and Oct. 8 on Disney+
Joining Selena Gomez ("Alex Russo") in guest roles for the second season include Freya Skye (Piper), Harvey Guillén (Gossip Stone), Kirsten Vangsness (Bigelow McFigglehorn), Recker Eans (Quentin), Tobias Jelinek (Lord Morsus), Patrick Bristow (Wiz M.D.) and Eleanor Sweeney (Bella Bianchi).

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV and ALLBLK Release First Look at the Hit Music Competition Series "Deb's House"
The new season premieres Friday, August 22 at 9:30 PM ET/PT exclusively on We TV and streaming on ALLBLK and AMC+.

[08/07/25 - 08:07 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Official Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for "The Paper"
The series premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.

[08/07/25 - 08:02 AM]
Southland Conference and ESPN Announce Extension to Media Rights Deal Through 2031
The new six-year agreement delivers unprecedented visibility for Southland student-athletes, coaches, and programs - anchored by a robust slate of nationally televised games and hundreds of Southland digital events annually across ESPN platforms.

[08/07/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Official Trailer and Announces September 1 Premiere Date for "The Runarounds"
"The Runarounds" follows a group of recent high school graduates from Wilmington, North Carolina, who come together the summer after graduation to form a rock band, united by their shared love of music and near-impossible dream of stardom.

[08/07/25 - 07:31 AM]
Dramedy Based on Director's Unusual Childhood "In the Name of Love" Makes Exclusive US Debut Monday, September 8, 2025 on Viaplay
Based on director Breien's unconventional childhood, this eight-part series follows the Bang family who built their fortune through underground porn in conservative 1970s Norway.

[08/07/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: The Whimsical World of Dr. Seuss Official Multi-Title Trailer & Key Art Debut
This fall Netflix is bringing you into the world of Seuss with two new shows and a special featuring iconic characters from beloved Dr. Seuss books.

[08/07/25 - 06:16 AM]
Video: "The Thursday Murder Club" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A group of senior sleuths passionate about solving cold cases get plunged into a real-life murder mystery in this comic crime caper based on the novel.

[08/07/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils "007: Road to a Million" Season 2 Trailer, Key Art and First Look at Brian Cox as "The Controller"
With an expanded presence, The Controller will operate from a control room where he challenges pairs, assesses their performance, and delivers his signature wry, deadpan commentary.

[08/07/25 - 05:49 AM]
Skydance Media and Paramount Global Complete Merger, Creating Next Generation Media Company
"Today marks an exciting and pivotal moment as we prepare to bring Paramount's legacy as a Hollywood institution into the future of entertainment," said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation.

[08/06/25 - 04:01 PM]
"Agents of Mystery" Gears Up for Season 2 with Next-Level Missions and a Bold New Member
Returning are agents Lee Yong-jin, John Park, Lee Hye-ri, Kim Do-hoon, and KARINA, joined by a new face, Gabee.

[08/06/25 - 11:03 AM]
All-New Season of "Ghost Adventures: House Calls" Premieres Wednesday, August 20 at 10PM ET/PT on Discovery
Overwhelmed by invasive, terrifying and unrelenting spirit activity that continues to escalate with no end in sight, distraught homeowners are desperate for the team's help.

[08/06/25 - 10:02 AM]
FOX Enlists a New Group of All-Star Celebrity Recruits for the Fourth Season of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test"
The fourth season of FOX's ultimate celebrity social experiment premieres Thursday, September 25.