{"id":2544,"date":"2020-08-03T15:30:49","date_gmt":"2020-08-03T13:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ricerche.apaonline.it\/news\/lotus-production-societa-di-leone-film-group-inaugura-lotus-factory\/"},"modified":"2020-08-03T15:32:29","modified_gmt":"2020-08-03T13:32:29","slug":"lotus-production-societa-di-leone-film-group-inaugura-lotus-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ricerche.apaonline.it\/en\/news\/lotus-production-societa-di-leone-film-group-inaugura-lotus-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy\u2019s Leone Film Group Launches New Unit For Genre Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Leone Film Group<\/a>\u2019s Lotus Production<\/a> shingle is setting up Lotus Factory, a new unit for high-profile genre projects out of Italy made for the international market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These currently include a live action TV series in development on the origins of Santa Clause, for which Lotus chief Marco Belardi has recruited top U.S. talent: Oscar-nominated writer Jim Capobianco (\u201cRatatouille\u201d) and Robert Lence (\u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d \u201cThe Lion King,\u201d \u201cToy Story\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are planning to make films of different genres from those that are usually produced in Italy,\u201d Belardi told\u00a0Variety,\u00a0<\/em>noting that Italy\u2019s scripted content output is largely made up of \u201cdramas, comedies and an occasional noir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Italian film and TV content targeting family audiences is quite scarce, a gap Belardi is looking to fill with Lotus Factory.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belardi has recruited young Italian director Nicola Abbatangelo, who recently completed \u201cThe Land of Dreams,\u201d an English-language movie musical set in 1920s New York, to serve as creative director of the new outfit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abbatangelo came up with the idea for the still-untitled Santa Clause origin story, which he is writing together with Fabio Guaglione (\u201cMine,\u201d \u201cTrue Love\u201d) and Capobianco and Lence. Belardi said he wants to develop the Santa Clause origin project and make a pilot on his own before shopping it to streaming giants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another family-targeting project in development at Lotus Factory is animation feature \u201cFear Tales,\u201d whose logline reads, \u201cThe adventures of the most fearful boy in the world and his greatest friend: fear itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this project, Belardi has recruited Brazil-based animator Sandro Cleuzo, whose work includes \u201cMary Poppins Returns\u201d and whose studio produced the animation for Oscar-nominated Spanish film \u201cChico and Rita.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Projects in earlier stages at Lotus Factory comprise a \u201cdystopian trilogy,\u201d and horror, thriller and action movie projects. The \u201cfactory\u201d aspect pertains to Belardi\u2019s intention to set up workshops where international talent can come to Italy and share their expertise. Meanwhile, the workshops can be used to scout up-and-coming Italian talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Belardi\u2019s Lotus Production unit, which has long been shepherding \u201cColt<\/a>\u201d \u2014 a previously announced English-language Western to be directed by Stefano Sollima (\u201cSoldado\u201d), based on a Sergio Leone<\/a> concept \u2014 has teamed up with Lorenzo Mieli\u2019s The Apartment, a Fremantle unit, to finance the high-end English-language pic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shooting is now set to start in January 2021 in Canada, Bulgaria and Italy, said Belardi, who is keeping casting details under wraps. Leone Film Group is owned and operated by Sergio Leone\u2019s children Raffaella and Andrea. \u201cColt\u201d takes its cue from the six-shooter packed by Clint Eastwood in \u201cA Fistful of Dollars,\u201d which becomes a narrative device as it is passes from owner to owner throughout the Old West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other projects in various stages in the Lotus Production pipeline include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n