A biopic on Amedeo Modigliani, the famous Italian painter/ sculptor is reportedly under production and is set to star Riccardo Scamarcio in the lead role. Produced by Proton Cinema, ‘Modi’ (as the film is titled) will follow the events that take place in Amedeo Modigliani’s life during his time in Paris in 1916. The biopic will primarily focus on the artist’s endeavors in the streets and bars of Paris that is engulfed in the aftermath of the First World War. The movie will also explore his associations with fellow bohemians: French artist Maurice Utrillo, the Belarusian-born Chaim Soutine and his English muse and lover, Beatrice Hastings and how his encounter with a collector changed his life. Johnny Depp, a versatile actor, musician and a Hollywood legend who has graced the screens with several blockbusters such as the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film series, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ film series and many more is set to direct this upcoming feature film. ‘Modi’ will be the actor’s second film directorial. The screenplay for the movie will be written by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Kromolowski.
Riccardo Scamarcio is a popular Italian actor who is known for his movies, ‘Three Steps Over Heaven’, ‘John Wick 2’, ‘Caravaggio’s Shadow’ and many more. He will possibly be playing Amedeo Modigliani in the movie which has reportedly commenced its production in Budapest and Italy.
Al Pacino to Join the Cast
If the rumors are indeed true, Al Pacino will be playing the role of Gangnat, an international art collector in ‘Modi’. Al Pacino is another Hollywood legend who is known for a number of productions including ‘The Godfather’ film series, ‘Scent of a Woman’, ‘Ocean’s 13’ and ‘Scarface’. Other additions to the cast include Pierre Niney (‘Yves Saint Laurent’, ‘Mascarade’), Luisa Ranieri (The Hand of God, 7 Women and a Murder), Stephen Graham (‘This Is England’, ‘The Walk-In’), Bruno Gouery (‘Emily in Paris’, ‘Le Bonheur des Uns’), Ryan McParland (‘Halo’, ‘Tale of Tales’), Benjamin Lavernhe (‘My Donkey, My Lover & I’, ‘Delicious’), Sally Phillips (‘How to Please a Woman’, ‘Bridget Jones Diary’) and Antonia Desplat (‘Shantaram’, ‘The French Dispatch’).
Barry Navidi, Stephen Deuter, Jason Forman and Nadine Luque will be joining the production team alongside other creators.
Amedeo Modigliani
Amedeo Modigliani was a renowned painter and sculptor during the modern age who was primarily known for his style of incorporating elongated neck, faces and forms in his sculptures and paintings. He is also known for his nude paintings. The artist’s works started to become more popular following his death and it will be interesting to see how the film manages to capture Modigliani’s period of struggle.
