ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in Italian independent producer Cattleya, the company behind international hit TV dramas Gomorrah and Romanzo Criminale.

The Rome-based company has produced over 70 films, including Best Foreign Language Academy Award nominee Don’t Tell, Suburra, Siberian Education,I’m Not Scared and domestic box office hits Benvenuti al Sud, Benvenuti al Nord and Il Principe Abusivo.

In recent years Cattleya has focused more on TV drama production, which is forecast to contribute around two-thirds of revenue by 2019.

As well as the upcoming third season of Gomorrah, which has been sold to over 70 countries and will be broadcast on Sky Italy starting in November, Cattleya has also produced Netflix’s first Italian original series Suburra, which focuses on politics, the Vatican and organized crime in present-day Rome.

Cattleya also recently won an English-language series commission and has several more in the immediate pipeline. Canal+ and SKY have ordered Zero Zero Zero, which focuses on the global cocaine trade and comes from the creative team behind Gomorrah, including writers Leonardo Fasoli and Roberto Saviano, together with director Stefano Sollima. 

Cattleya was launched in 1997 by Founder Riccardo Tozzi who was joined by President & co-CEO Giovanni Stabilini and co-CEO Marco Chimenz.  Producers and partners Francesca Longardi and Gina Gardini joined in 1999 and 2005, respectively.   In 2010, it created subsidiary think|cattleya with partner Monica Riccioni to produce commercials.

ITV Studios has previously invested in another European drama business, Tetra Media Studios in France, and has existing scripted businesses in the Nordics and Germany. 

Maria Kyriacou, President of ITV Studios International, said: “Riccardo, Giovanni, Marco, Gina and Francesca have established an enviable reputation as first-class drama producers by building brilliant relationships across the globe to develop ambitious projects which appeal to audiences everywhere.  This coupled with our confidence that the demand for high-end European drama will continue to grow, make Cattleya a perfect partner for ITV Studios as we continue with our strategy to build an international scripted business.”

Staff Reporter

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