A trailer has been released for HBO's adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel My Brilliant Friend. Directed by Saverio Costanzo (Private, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, Hungry Hearts), the series stars Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti in the lead roles of Elena and Lila as young children, with Margherita Mazzucco (Elena) and Gaia Girace (Lila) in the roles as the girls age. The story and screenplays are by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo.
My Brilliant Friend is expected to include a cast of more than 150 actors and 5,000 extras, according to HBO, which also noted that the production’s construction team of 150 crew members has created 215,000 square feet of sets, which were built over 100 days. To recreate the neighborhood, the symbolic location of the story, they built 14 exterior apartment buildings, five interior sets of apartments, a church and a tunnel. The costume department is gathering 1,500 costumes, many of which are original creations. The series premieres in November.
The eight-episodes project will be followed up by adaptations of the three remaining novels in the series: The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and The Story of the Lost Child.