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Antonio Banderas is making a comeback in new Italian drama series

The iconic star will portray Mario Spezi in the TV series ‘The Monster of Florence: A True Story’


Daniel Neira
Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
JUNE 30, 2021 6:51 PM EDT

Antonio Banderas is making a comeback! The iconic actor will play an Italian crime reporter, who investigates a series of murders in Italy from the 1960s to the 1980s.

The 60-year-old star will portray Mario Spezi in the TV series The Monster of Florence: A True Story, which is an adaptation of the 2008 best-selling novel under the same name.

Production for the show is set to start in Florence, Sardinia and Tuscany, with writer Douglas Preston revealing more details about the project, stating that both the book and the series are based on a true story, “the killer and our frightening interview with him.”

Antonio Banderas Attends ESAEM Theatre School Closing Year Event© GettyImages

“In a bizarre turn, Mario and I were sucked into a harrowing prosecutorial vendetta, our phones tapped, followed and menaced by the police, accused of participating in Satanic rites, which culminated in Mario arrested and charged with being the Monster of Florence himself,” he shared.

Directed and adapted by Danish writers Nikolaj Arcel, best known for A Royal Affair, and Anders Thomas Jensen from Riders of Justice, will create the six-part limited series for Studiocanal.

Day 10   Malaga Film Festival 2021© GettyImages

Fans of the actor can also expect to see Antonio’s involvement in the series as executive producers, alongside his agent Emanuel Nunez.

The directors have shared their excitement to have Antonio in the new project, as it is an incredible story that combines “a riveting murder mystery, Satanic cults, gangsters, corrupt cops, and a vast conspiracy, it’s any filmmakers dream come true.”