Production under way in Toronto on Marco Bellocchio’s Falcon
- Louis Garrel joins Pierfrancesco Favino in the Italian director’s drama about automotive executive Sergio Marchionne, with Rai Cinema International Distribution handling world sales
Marco Bellocchio’s upcoming feature Falcon, centred on the life and career of late Italian-Canadian automotive executive Sergio Marchionne, is taking shape with the addition of French actor Louis Garrel (It Will Happen Tonight, Just an Illusion) to its cast. Garrel will portray John Elkann, heir to the Agnelli family’s industrial empire, opposite Pierfrancesco Favino, who plays Marchionne. The pic is currently shooting in Toronto, with production also planned in Italy.
The cast additionally includes Benedetta Cimatti (Mussolini: Son of the Century) and Barbara Ronchi (Familia, Elisa), whilst Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (The Spiral, Duse) is set to make a cameo appearance. The project reunites Bellocchio with Favino following their collaboration on The Traitor, which premiered in competition at Cannes in 2019.
Falcon charts the rise of Marchionne, who was appointed chief executive of Fiat in 2004, at a time when the Italian car manufacturer was struggling financially. His ambitious restructuring of the company, followed by the acquisition of Chrysler during the US automotive industry's crisis, eventually led to the creation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, transforming the fortunes of both manufacturers.
The story also explores Marchionne's relationship with the young John Elkann, who inherited the responsibility of safeguarding the Agnelli family's industrial legacy. Their partnership became central to the transformation of Fiat into a major international automotive group, although Marchionne's professional triumphs came at a considerable personal cost.
Conceived as a financial thriller with strong psychological undertones, the movie examines the contradictions of a powerful executive whose determination and managerial ruthlessness enabled him to challenge established industrial giants, while increasingly isolating him from the world around him.
Speaking about the project in an earlier production announcement, Bellocchio described Marchionne as a man whose victories were accompanied by considerable hostility upon his return to Italy. The filmmaker summed up his interpretation of the character by stating: “In the end, one might say that he was a ‘tragic winner’.”
The screenplay was penned by Bellocchio himself, Ludovica Rampoldi, Andrea Di Stefano and Stefano Rulli, with the collaboration of Oliviero Del Papa. Key creatives attached include production designer Andrea Castorina, costume designer Daria Calvelli and editor Francesca Calvelli. Cinematography is entrusted to Matteo Cocco, a David di Donatello winner for Giorgio Diritti's Hidden Away, marking his first collaboration with Bellocchio.
The project follows Bellocchio's recent feature Kidnapped, which vied for the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2023, and his six-part series Portobello, which premiered at Venice in 2025 before its HBO Max release in 2026.
Falcon is being produced by Simone Gattoni for Kavac Film, Mattia Mor for Emotion Network and Rai Cinema, in collaboration with Stla Europe. 01 Distribution will handle the Italian theatrical release, whilst HBO Max is set to stream the film subsequently. The project's global sales are managed by Rai Cinema International Distribution.
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
