Jashandeep Singh
The filming of Sky’s new original series ‘Piedone’ is all set to begin this year in Naples, Italy. The Italian show is a revival of the iconic ‘Piedone’ film series, starring Bud Spencer as Inspector ‘Flatfoot’ Rizzo, and follows the journey of Inspector Vincenzo Palmieri, a pupil of Rizzo. “Inspector Vincenzo Palmieri returns to Naples after several years to settle accounts with the past. Palmieri is a policeman who doesn’t like weapons, a pupil of the popular Commissioner Rizzo known as Piedone. He will have to win the trust of his new team and demonstrate that his unconventional methods are not a problem but, on the contrary, are the best weapon to solve cases,” reads the official logline.
The premise of the series is set in Naples, and hence, the cast and crew will be heading to the city to commence the shoot. A number of popular films and television shows were also filmed in the city, including ‘365 Days,’ ‘The Bourne Supremacy,’ ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,’ ‘Man on Fire,’ ‘Eat Pray Love,’ and ‘The Hand of God.’
The four-episode series was created and written by Peppe Fiore, known for his works on ‘Lovely Boy,’ ‘Ultras,’ and ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill.’ Alessio Maria Federici (‘Stay Away from Me,’ ‘Imperfetti Criminali,’ and ‘One of The Family’) serves as the director of the project. The co-writers of the script include Salvatore Esposito, Giuseppe Pedersoli, Laura Grimaldi, Paolo Piccirillo, and Jacopo Sonnino.
Salvatore Esposito also stars in the show, stepping into the shoes of Inspector Vincenzo Palmieri. The actor is famous for his performances in ‘Gomorrah,’ ‘The Immortal,’ ‘My Big Gay Italian Wedding,’ and ‘The Stonebreaker.’ Talking about taking the legacy of Bud Spencer forward with the series, Esposito said, “It is exciting because I collect a moral legacy, not only from Commissioner Rizzo but also from Bud Spencer. As a fan, I am very excited but full of energy. We will see a beautiful and sunny Naples, an intense investigation, a lot of rhythm.” The rest of the cast members of the show have not been announced yet.
The show is produced by Sky Studios, Wildside, and Titanus Production. The original film series constitutes four films released between 1973 and 1980. The first film, ‘Piedone lo sbirro’ (released internationally as ‘Flatfoot’), follows Inspector Rizzo going against a drug-peddling gang. The movie became a huge box-office success and paved the way for three sequels: ‘Piedone a Hong Kong’ (‘Flatfoot in Hong Kong’), ‘Piedone l’africano’ (‘Flatfoot in Africa’), and ‘Piedone d’Egitto’ (‘Flatfoot in Egypt’).
