Luca Marinelli Is a Ruthless Dictator in the First ‘M. Son of the Century’ Trailer

The Big Picture

• Get ready for
  M. Son of the Century
  , premiering in 2025 with Luca Marinelli as Mussolini.
• Based on Antonio Scurati’s novel, the series dives into Mussolini’s rise to power.
• Director Joe Wright’s experience with historical figures shines in his work on this drama.

The biographical drama series based on one of history’s most infamous figures finally has its first trailer and release window. The first trailer for M. Son of the Century has been released by Sky, which also announced that the series will premiere in 2025, but it did not give a specific date. The trailer stars famed Italian actor Luca Marinelli as the dictator Benito Mussolini, and also Francesco Russo as Cesare Rossi, Barbarie Chichiarelli as Margherita Sarfatti, and Gaetano Bruno as Giacomo Matteotti. It’s possible you know Marinella from his role as Nicky in The Old Guard, the Netflix action-adventure movie starring Charlize Theron that recently received a promising update on a potential sequel.

The script for M. Son of the Century comes from Stefano Bises and Davide Serino, and is based on the award-winning novel by Antonio Scurati. The eight-episode series will detail Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy as the country surrendered to a dictatorship. Scurati’s book of the same name can be purchased here, and the show also comes from BAFTA Award-nominated director Joe Wright, who was recognized in both 2018 and 2022 for his work on Darkest Hour and Cyrano, respectively. M. Son of the Century will have its world premiere at the 81st annual Venice Film Festival ahead of the series arrival on Sky and Max next year.

What Else Has Joe Wright Directed in the Past?

Wright has worked with many talented actors in his directorial career thus far, even directing three actors who were nominated for Oscars in his films, one of which (Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour) went on to win the award. Wright is best known for his work with Oldman in Darkest Hour, the political drama which sees Oldman play Winston Churchill. Wright’s experience directing another historical figure like Churchill will certainly come in handy while working on M. Son of the Century. Wright also directed the 2005 romance class Pride & Prejudice which stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, and the late Donald Sutherland. His other works include Atonement, the 2007 period drama starring James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan, and Hanna, the globetrotting teen adventure which stars Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana.

M. Son of the Century will be released in 2025. Check out the trailer for the series above, stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch Wright’s previous directorial work, Darkest Hour, now streaming on Netflix.

WATCH ON NETFLIX