Sky orders Italian dystopian drama

Sky's Italian division has ordered a dystopian ‘fairy tale’ drama series from Italian writer Niccolò Ammaniti.

Adapted from his 2018 novel, Anna concerns a virus that kills all adults to leave behind a world populated entirely by children.

Francesca Manieri’s and Ammaniti screenplay follows a young girl’s journey as she searches for her kidnapped brother against the backdrop of a ruined island inhabited by wild communities of survivors.

The show will be produced by Fremantle’s Italian producer Wildside in collaboration with French producer Kwai and European producer/broadcaster Arte France.

It is Ammaniti’s second project with Sky following last year’s eight-part religion-themed drama The Miracle, also produced with Wildside.

Shooting gets underway in mid-October, with Wildside’s chief exec Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli series producing, alongside Sky executive vice president of programming Nicola Maccanico, who ordered the drama,

Maccanico said: “Anna, besides being a fairy tale, is a fantasy warning against one of the problems of our age: the loneliness of our youngsters who must fight for their future even if they are often hampered by adults who are increasingly emotionless and distracted.”

Wildside’s Gianani added: “After The Miracle we are happy to return to work with Niccolò Ammaniti, one of the most important, creative and appreciated Italian talents abroad, and we are sure that once again he will bring to the project his amazingly original vision.”

This article originally appeared on our sister website Broadcast