SundanceTV has boarded The Name of the Rose, a limited international drama series based on Umberto Eco’s acclaimed novel, that stars John Turturro (The Night Of), Michael Emerson (Lost, Person of Interest) and Rupert Everett (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children).

AMC Networks’ cable network as well as Sundance Now have joined the series, which will also air on Rai in Italy in 2019 and is produced by 11 Marzo Film, Palomar and Tele München Group. Damian Hardung (Red Band Society), Sebastian Koch (Homeland), James Cosmo (Game of Thrones), Richard Sammel (Inglourious Basterds), Fabrizio Bentivoglio (Human Capital) and Greta Scarano (In Treatment) also star in the series, which is currently in production in Italy.

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Set in Italy in 1327, The Name of the Rose follows the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (Turturro) and his novice Adso von Melk (Hardung) as they arrive at a secluded monastery in the Alps. There they become witnesses to a series of mysterious murders. While Baskerville and Melk investigate and search for the killer, they are hunted themselves by the merciless inquisitor Bernard Gui (Everett), who prosecutes those who criticize the pope.

The screenplay was co-written by Andrea Porporati (Il dolce e l’amaro, La Piovra), Nigel Williams and Giacomo Battiato (L’infiltré, Karol: A Man Who Became Pope), who also directs the series.

Bompiani/Harcourt

Eco’s The Name of The Rose has sold more than 50 million copies since it was first published in 1980.

Herbert L. Kloiber, Managing Director of Tele München Group and Tele München International: “We are thrilled to work with the AMC Networks family — on The Name of the Rose. Umberto Eco’s masterpiece hasn’t lost any of its fascination since it was first published and we are very much looking forward to bringing this authentic and multi-layered vision of Eco’s unparalleled novel to audiences around the world.”

“SundanceTV and Sundance Now are proud to join Tele München Group on The Name of the Rose, an entertaining murder mystery full of twists and turns, brought to life with first class talent in front of and behind the camera,” said Jan Diedrichsen, General Manager, SundanceTV and Sundance Now. “William of Baskerville is nothing less than a medieval Sherlock Holmes. The story is beloved because it combines the best of serialized crime drama – in the vein of SundanceTV’s Top of the Lake – with a dramatic, wildly visual setting rarely depicted on television. A smart, thrilling story, coupled with and extremely high production values, makes this project a perfect fit for our linear network and streaming service – it’s exactly what our discerning audience craves.”

Nicola Serra, Managing Director and Partner of Palomar: “AMC Networks, and especially Sundance TV and Sundance Now are synonymous with quality, creativity and very high standards in serialised drama, which is something the public knows very well. We are excited and delighted: this is the ideal partner for our story which will surprise, astonish, amaze and entertain their audience.”

TMG’s sales unit, TM International, is handling worldwide distribution of the series.