Silvio Berlusconi has dominated both Italian politics and international headlines for well over ten years.
The media mogul and former owner of AC Milan is the longest-serving Prime Minister in post-war Italy and was, in 2009, ranked as the 12th most powerful man in the world by Forbes Magazine. He's also been convicted of tax fraud, banned from holding any legislative office for six years and has been tried, convicted and then later acquitted of paying an underage prostitute for sexual services. That's only the half of it.
Berlusconi's also been wrapped up in repeated claims about conflict of interest in the media, made highly provocative statements about Islam and his political party, Forza Italia, had links to the Sicilian Mafia. Simply put, he's an interesting character, one ripe for a film about his life and career.
But why has it taken so long? Well, there's lots of reasons - one of them probably owing to the fact that most people are afraid to take on Berlusconi's media empire. However, Paolo Sorrentino - the director behind the Dublin-set This Must Be The Place and the upcoming HBO series The Young Pope - has signed on for Loro, an examination of Berlusconi's tumultuous career, according to a report in Variety.
Sorrentino already has some experience in making films about Italian political leaders, having previously directed Il Divo, about former Italian PM Giulio Andreotti.
No release date has been set, however Sorrentino is currently working on the screenplay and the idea is to film sometime in 2017.
Via Variety
