Max today announced its first Italian scripted original seies, Portobello, from Italian film director and screenwriter Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor, Good Morning, Night,) which will debut on the platform in 2026.
Filming began in Rome September 2024, and is currently ongoing, with additional locations in Sardinia, Campania, and Lombardy.
The six-episode series tells the story of Enzo Tortora, the famous host of the real-life television show Portobello – which aired in 1977 for seven seasons – who was accused by justice collaborators of being part of a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking. Tortora was imprisoned and tried for years before being definitively acquitted of all charges.
Portobello stars Fabrizio Gifuni (Human Capital, Hannibal) as Enzo Tortora, Lino Musella (The Hand of God, Gomorrah), Romana Maggiora Vergano (The Time It Takes, There’s Still Tomorrow), Barbora Bobulova (Stucky, The Spectator), Alessandro Preziosi (Loose Cannons, Black Out – Vite sospese), and Fausto Russo Alesi (Sicilian Letters, The Traitor).
Portobello is written by Bellocchio, Stefano Bises (Gomorrah, Esterno notte), Giordana Mari (Citadel: Diana, Corpo libero) and Peppe Fiore (Thou Shalt Not Kill, Il re).
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