Bille August Series ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ Starring ‘Peaky Blinders’ Actor Sam Claflin Draws Top Ratings in Italy
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Bille August-directed TV series “The Count of Monte Cristo,” featuring an international cast led by Sam Claflin (“Peaky Blinders”) is reaping stellar ratings in Italy, scoring on average a whopping 26% primetime share on the country’s state broadcaster RAI.
The first episode of August’s high-end adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas classic, which the two-time Palme d’Or winning director of “Pelle the Conqueror” and “Smilla’s Sense Of Snow” shot in Paris, Torino, Rome and Malta, drew more than 5 million viewers Monday on RAI’s RAI-1 flagship station, reaching peaks of more than 32% of the country’s total TV audience and marking RAI’s best ratings for a TV series in nearly a year.
Claflin stars as young sailor Edmond Dantes who is falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress off Marseille before escaping to seek revenge.
Irons plays Abbé Faria who becomes his mentor behind bars. The cast of August’s “Monte Cristo” also comprises Ana Girardot; Mikkel Boe Følsgaard; Blake Ritson; Karla-Simone Spence; Michele Riondino; Lino Guanciale; Gabriella Pession and Nicolas Maupas.
Read more on variety.com
