Netflix to produce Italian-language series 'Suburra'

ROME, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Netflix is expanding its international reach following a deal with producers to release its first Italian-language original series based on real-life events.

The popular streaming service announced its agreement with Cattleya, the production company behind such Italian favorites as Gamorrah and Romanzo Criminale, Monday morning. The new series, Suburra, will be a 10-episode adaption of the upcoming feature-length film of the same name.

The Suburra movie, which follows the true story of recent political scandal in Rome, will stream on Netflix in North and South America simultaneous to its Italian theater release Oct. 14.

"Being on Netflix means a lot to me," film director Stefano Sollima said in a statement. "Not only will my film be part of a selection of high-quality films and groundbreaking TV series of which I am a huge fan, but it will also have the opportunity to reach a wide international public."

Suburra is a dark organized crime drama about a high-stakes battle between politicians, religious leaders and mob members over a small seaside town near Rome intended to be developed into a "gambling paradise."

The upcoming series will begin production during the second half of 2016 as filmmakers enter the project's beginning stages. Netflix and Cattleya have also partnered with Rai, an Italian public service broadcaster, who will air Suburra on television after its 2017 Netflix debut.

"This collaboration demonstrates our new strategic direction to innovate and compete in Italy and abroad," said Rai director Antonio Campo DallOrto. "Television is transforming, we need to stay on the forefront and redefine our role. The Suburra series testifies to the strength of the growing Italian production industry, from cinema to fiction, and its ability to be a player at the highest international level."