Producer Lorenzo Meili is known for gathering top-tier talent to create narratives that resonate with a global audience. His collaborations with Paolo Sorrentino (Hand of God, Parenthrope), the best of our time when it comes to lighting and framing, and Luca Guadagnino (Queer, Bones and All), whose busily spread his influence in 2024, are but a few testaments to his ability. But with M: Son of the Century, The Apartment Producer made an usual decision.

At the Venice film festival in 2022, he spoke on his idea of having an outsider helm the series, and voiced his admiration for English director Joe Wright’s dealings with politics in Darkest Hour. This exchange took place after Wright had been assigned to direct the 8-part series. His prowess does not come into question. The issues of communication may raise eye-brows.

What makes this collaboration so daring is that Wright speaks next to no Italian. So how did they manage? One would guess it wasn’t easy. During an interview with Variety, Wright shared what he learned from his experience:

“If this show has taught me one thing, it’s that nationalism is bollocks. And so, as my dear friend Seamus McGarvey, the DP, says: “There’s no nation but the imagination.” There are things that I feel very culturally close to, to be honest with you. I feel culturally closer to Italy than I do to America. And yet we don’t share a language.”

Regarding language, Wright worked with English translations of the scripts during production, which were originally written in Italian by Stefano Bises (Gomorrah, The Series, The New Pope) and Serial Eyes alumni David Serino (1992, 1993), based off Antonio Scurati’s 2018 novel. These are talented writers. One a veteran. One up and coming. Together a promising team.

Still, the idea of Wright directing outside of his language seem problematic, as any universal examination of a cultural figure has the potential to spark uproar if not handled with care, especially within the modern climate.

But if M’s creative set-up is broken down by role, it could be assumed that Wright was dutyed with aesthetics, mood, direction, and creating the desired ‘outsider’ perspective while Bises and Serino handled the expertise of language, character, and culture of the era (as only they could).

Wright was also gifted one of Italy’s finest actors. Mieli had stated that Luca Marinelli was his first choice to play Mussolini (in an interview with Cinematagrafo). Known for The Eight Mountains, They Call me Jeed, Martin Eden, the actor underwent an unbelievable transformation for his role in M, upping weight and shaving back his hairline to embody the charismatic Mussolini who, in the series, breaks the forth wall to boast to the audience directly.

Collectively, this creative team set out to convey impactful statements on violence, fascism, and how they surged under Mussolini’s political take-over. It is my hope the collaboration results is a tale which, without beating on modern parallels, explores how such a dictator could possibly circus appeal in his favor.

With a score from the Tom Rowlands and utilization of Cinecittà’s versatile multi-stage complex, the series trailers convey a jarring tonality that is fast-paced, over-the-top, and full of darker tones, like Mussolini himself. Maybe this will be a story that pieces together what fascism tears apart.

Produced by Sky Studios and The Apartment (a Fremantle Company), in co-production with Pathé and Small Forward, M: Son of the Century is currently streaming on Sky Atlantic, with Fremantle handling future international distribution.

"Joe Wright" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Gage Skidmore

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