Riccardo Scamarcio Joins Cast of "John Wick 2"

Update to our original January 18 post..

- According to the Hollywood Reporter, the follow-up to John Wick has been given an official title — John Wick, Chapter 2 — and a release date from Lionsgate: Feb. 10, 2017.

It's just been reported that Keanu Reeves is in Rome shooting his new film, "John Wick 2" with Italian actors Riccardo Scamarcio and Claudia Gerini. The film is an action-thriller and sequel to "John Wick". Shooting began last October in New York City. John Wick, played by Reeves, is a hitman that comes out of retirement to seek vengeance for the theft of his vintage car and the killing of his puppy, a gift from his recently deceased wife. The scenes being shot in Italy for the sequel reportedly take his career to the international level.

Riccardo Scamarcio

One of Italy's most recognizable faces, Riccardo Scamarcio has built a solid career based on the diversity in the roles he chooses and the intensity with which he plays them.

Born in Puglia in 1979 under the sign of Scorpio, Scamarcio has been widely recognized for his striking southern Italian looks and was labeled a sex symbol right away. That label was not all bad for him as it opened doors in his career and paved the way for him to take on complicated roles and prove that he is more than just another handsome face. He studied acting at the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema in Rome and also did some modeling during his college years. His first role was in a TV mini-series in 2001, and his first feature film role in was in Luca Lucini's 2004 hit, "Tre metri sopra il cielo" (Three Steps Over Heaven), which solidified his teen-idol status but also gave audiences insight into the talent of one of Italy's most celebrated actors. However it was his role as Andrea Utano in Marco Tullio Giordana's 6-hour epic film, "La meglio gioventù" (The Best of Youth) that put Scamarcio on the map as serious cinematic contender.

Another film that’s had much success worldwide is Daniele Luchetti's "Mio fratello è figlio unico" (My Brother is an Only Child). The 2007 film is a coming of age story that centers on two brothers with different beliefs living in turbulent times. Brothers Accio and Manrico, played by Scamarcio and Elio Germano, grow up in the 60's and 70's during Italy's restless political climate. One is communist while the other is fascist. Putting their differences aside in order to keep their family together is the biggest challenge they face. Writers Stefano Rulli and Sandro Petraglia, who also wrote "La meglio gioventù" created another well scripted film, which also serves as a history lesson about Italy's tumultuous past. Scamarcio shines as the confident, vocal brother who seems to get whatever he wants with his outgoing personality.

Scamarcio presented a quite different character in the French film, “Eden à l’Ouest” (East is West), which was directed by Costa-Gravas in 2009. With strong conviction, Scamarcio takes on the starring role of Elias, an exhausted but diligent illegal immigrant that travels through Europe in search of work. Along the way, he meets other migrant workers like himself who are just trying to make a living and support their families in the European Union. The film premiered at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival and has won many accolades along the way, including the Critic’s Award at the City of Lights, a French Film Festival held in Los Angeles.

Riccardo Scamarcio makes an effort to keep his personal life private, with the exception of his relationship with Italian actress/director Valeria Golino. The two met during the shooting of their film, "Texas", which was directed by Fausto Paravidino in 2005. The gorgeous couple is a fixture on Red Carpets all over the world.

Scamarcio recently finished up a theater engagement as Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet" at the Teatro Eliseo in Rome. In an interview with Italian Vogue, he said, "It seems absurd, but I wanted to do theater out of a purely artistic, professional need." The play was a success and gave audiences the opportunity to see the actor perform in a much more intimate setting.

Scamarcio's films have had much international success and many are available through the internet including, "La meglio gioventù" and "Mio fratello è figlio unico", which are both available through Amazon.

Comments

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29 Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today. ‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" ...

Ornella Muti: Five decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with “La Moglie più bella” (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, “Sole nella pelle” (Sun on the Skin), in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies, with its political climate, breathtaking seaside, and the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and captures the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with "Flash Gordon." She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including “Oscar,” directed by John Landis and starring Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1992, she w...

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty. He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence. Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

The Timeless Vision of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pondering his films and poetry, I wonder if the uniqueness of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films was rooted in his unconventional childhood. Born in Bologna in 1922, Pasolini's father was a lieutenant in the army, and his family was always moving. He grew up in various small towns in Northern Italy. After his parents separated, he spent most of his time in his mother's hometown of Casarsa, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. There, he grew to respect the area's peasant culture and began to write poetry in the region's dialect. He studied literature and art history at the University of Bologna and was drafted into the army during World War II. The war proved to be especially tragic for his family as his younger brother was executed by Communist partisans. Following the war, he returned to Casarsa where he worked as a teacher and ironically became a leading member of the Communist party there. Pasolini was later expelled from the party due to allegations of homo...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog