Italian actor Toni Servillo is to star in Gorbachev – The Cashier Who Liked Gambling (Gorbacio – Il Cassiere ColVizio Del Gioco), a new drama being introduced to buyers by RAI Trade at the Cannes Market.

Servillo, the award-winning star of last year’s Italian smash hits Il Divo and Gomorrah, will play Gorbachev, a compulsive gambler who falls in love with an Chinese illegal immigrant girl. The €5m project will be directed by Stefano Incerti.

German and French buyers are already circling the film, which could potentially be ready in time for next February’s Berlinale. The project is backed by Devon Cinematografica, Surf Film, Teatri Uniti and The Bottom Line.

The new film takes its place RAI Trade’s Marche slate alongside some other eyecatching titles, among them Frederick Barbarossa: The Company Of Death. Billed as an “Italian Braveheart,” the English-language historical drama set in 12th Century Italy stars Rutger Hauer, F. Murray Abraham and Raz Degan.

Market premieres include Fausto Brizzi’s Ex, Pupi Avati’s The Friends At The Margherita Cafe and Marco Risi’s Fort.
 

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