Sky has unveiled its Italian “Call My Agent” adaptation set in Rome featuring high-caliber Italian guest stars such asPaolo Sorrentino – in a side-splitting turn – and actor Matilda De Angelis (“The Undoing,” “Citadel”).
The six-episode season is produced by Sky Studios and Palomar, the Italian company controlled by France’s Mediawan which originated the hit show set at a Parisian talent agency.
In episode two Oscar-winner Sorrentino waltzes into the Rome agency called CMA with a “brilliant” new idea for a third instalment to his “The Young Pope” TV series.”
It’s “The Lady Pope” for whom the God-like director wants 1980s Italian disco queen Ivana Spagna to be cast in the titular role. And also Denzel Washington as the female pope’s chamberlain, and Madonna as her mother.
The gag was thought of by Sorrentino who spoofs himself with biting irony.
In real life De Angelis recently scored the lead role on the upcoming Italian installment of Prime Video’s global “Citadel” spy thriller franchise. In the Italian “Call My Agent” adaptation she plays the victim of a social media shit storm that risks overwhelming the entire agency.
The head writer on the Sky Original show is Lisa Nur Sultan, who previously penned the successful Italian version of ITV’s hit relationship drama “Liar.” The “Call My Agent Italy” director is Luca Ribuoli (“The Mafia only Kills in Summer”).
“We had fun with it at first, and then started feeling all the pressure and expectations,” said the writer during a Rome press conference, adding that she kept the basic narrative framework of the French “Call My Agent” intact especially in the initial episodes but then “changed lots of things” in subsequent ones.
“These six episodes make Rome shine like never before, almost like during the ‘Dolce Vita’,” said Sky Studios Italy senior director scripted productions Sonia Rovai.” Rovai noted that to bring the stories about Italian talent agents who risk of losing their business to the screen they sought a mix of established talents and nowecomers.
The “Call My Agent” Italy main cast comprises Michele di Mauro, Sara Drago, Maurizio Lastrico, Marzia Ubaldi, Sara Lazzaro, Fracesco Russo, Paola Buratto, the singer known as Kaze, and Emanuela Fanelli.
The guest stars are Paola Cortellesi, Paolo Sorrentino, Pierfrancesco Favino and his wife Anna Ferzetti, Matilda De Angelis, Stefano Accorsi and Corrado Guzzanti.
The Italian “Call My Agent,” which will launch on Sky Jan. 20, follows local adaptions of the show in a slew of territories including India, Canada, Turkey, and the U.K.
