IMPERO: FILMING BEGINS ON NEW SKY DRAMA

Starring Oscar nominated Giancarlo Giannini, Francesco Montanari and Elena Radonicich.

With its confidential negotiations and related millionaire commissions, sensational newspaper headlines and sometimes hidden agendas, it is one of the most exciting moments of the entire football season: the golden and ruthless world of the transfer market.

Now, for the first time, it is the subject of new eight-part Sky Original drama series, Impero, created by Tommaso Capolicchio, Giacomo Durzi, Filippo Kalomelidis, Marcello Olivieri and Andrea Cotti, based on the idea byAlessandro Roja in collaboration with Riccardo Grandi.

Impero will explore all aspects of football managers’ work from the economic and political interests behind the signing of football players, to the success of an entire team and the impact on their personal lives.

Antonella d’Errico, Executive Vice President Programming Sky Italia said: "With Impero we get behind the scenes of the world of Italian football. Through a fictional story, that of a man who has unjustly lost everything and will try to rise back to the top, we are going to explore the most hidden and unknown side of this world as well as its dynamics of power...

"We are glad to announce that the brilliant cast is already at work on set to give life to this project and we are really pleased to work again with Francesco Montanari who, more than 10 years ago, as a very young acting talent starring in Romanzo Criminale - La serie, together with Sky experienced the birth of the successful track record of Sky’s original productions. We are very proud to mark with Impero another step forward in this direction."