Max Sets Marco Bellocchio-Directed ‘Portobello’ as First Italian Original Series

Max has set revered Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio’s TV series “Portobello” as its first Italian scripted original. The show tells the story of Italian TV host Enzo Tortora, who was a victim of one of Italy’s most clamorous travesties of justice, and will debut on the platform in 2026.

Max is now available in some 25 countries in Europe, spanning Spain, France, Benelux, the Nordics and Central and Eastern Europe. It’s now clear that the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer will also be operational in Italy by 2026.

In 1985, Tortora was accused by several alleged ex-mobsters turned informants and state witnesses of being part of a Neapolitan crime syndicate dedicated to drug trafficking. After enduring a lengthy trial, being sentenced to 10 years in prison and spending some time behind bars, Tortora’s conviction was eventually fully overturned by Italy’s Supreme Court in 1987 amid widespread belief that the TV host had been the victim of corrupt judges and prosecutors.

Production on “Portobello” started in Rome last September and will also take place in Italy’s Sardinia, Campania and Lombardy regions. The “Portobello” cast comprises frequent Bellocchio collaborator Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora, plus Lino Musella, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Barbora Bobulova, Alessandro Preziosi and Fausto Russo Alesi.

Gifuni previously starred as former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro in Bellocchio’s limited TV series “Exterior Night,” about the 1978 kidnapping and assassination of the country’s leader by Red Brigades terrorists.

The prestige series is produced by Rome-based Our Films, which is owned by Mediawan, and Kavac Film in co-production with ARTE France and in collaboration with Fremantle’s The Apartment Pictures. The series is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Our Films and by Simone Gattoni for Kavac.

“Portobello” is written by Bellocchio, Stefano Bises (“Gomorrah”), Giordana Mari (“My Love”) and Peppe Fiore (“The King”). Cinematography is by Francesco Di Giacomo, set design by Andrea Castorina, costume designs by Daria Calvelli, editing by Francesca Calvelli and music by Teho Teardo.