Louis Garrel as John Elkann: Bellocchio's Marchionne film "Falcon" finds buyers

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Louis Garrel as John Elkann: Bellocchio's Marchionne film "Falcon" finds buyers.

It's a casting decision that's making waves in the European film industry: French actor Louis Garrel takes on the role of Fiat heir John Elkann in Marco Bellocchio's new film "Falcon." The production and Italian distributor Rai Cinema International Distribution announced this jointly as international sales launched.

Alongside Garrel is Italian character actor Pierfrancesco Favino in the previously announced lead role as Sergio Marchionne. Marchionne, the former Fiat-Chrysler chief, is described in both trade reports as a key figure in recent industrial history – according to Variety, he "saved Fiat from bankruptcy." Marchionne has passed away, as Deadline notes with the descriptor "late Fiat-Chrysler automobile exec." The extended cast also includes Benedetta Cimatti, Barbara Ronchi, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who joins the film in a specifically credited smaller role, according to Deadline.

Filming is currently taking place not in Fiat's Italian homeland, but in Toronto. Bellocchio is directing "Falcon" as a "financial thriller," according to Deadline – a glossy piece about power, corporation, and family, far from his usual Italian setting.

The cast at a glance

Already set before the current announcement was Pierfrancesco Favino as Sergio Marchionne. Marchionne shaped the Fiat group for years as one of Europe's best-known auto executives; Variety explicitly highlights in its description that he "saved the group from bankruptcy." Marchionne has passed away, which Deadline makes unmistakably clear with the addition of "late."

The most attention-grabbing new addition is the casting of French actor Louis Garrel as John Elkann. According to Variety, Elkann is the "heir of the Italian Agnelli family behind the auto giant Fiat" and remains closely tied to the group's fate to this day. Garrel, long established as a star in French cinema, lends the role international weight. The cast is rounded out by Benedetta Cimatti, Barbara Ronchi, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who, according to Deadline, is credited by name with "participation" in the film.

What "Falcon" is about – and what it isn't

Little concrete information is known about the plot so far. Both trade outlets characterize the film as a biopic about Sergio Marchionne – which inevitably means the project will also tell the story of the Agnelli empire and its current heir, John Elkann. Deadline classifies the work as a "financial thriller," while Variety speaks of a "high-end production."

What you can take from the reports: "Falcon" is not designed as a classic period drama, but as an international financial thriller that apparently packages the material in a corporate-close, conflict-driven way. The fact that filming is taking place in Toronto – and not, say, in Turin, the Agnellis' headquarters – underscores this design.

Sales underway, release date TBD

International sales are being handled by Rai Cinema International Distribution, a subsidiary of Italian public broadcaster RAI. The announcement coincides with the ongoing shoot in Toronto – both trade outlets published the casting and sales news on the same day, which industry observers read as a deliberate sales strategy.

What the sources don't provide: neither a German theatrical release date nor a festival slot or international release date have been announced so far. What's clear is only the setting – a biopic about a figure whose legacy John Elkann still oversees today, and a filmmaker who is visibly thinking beyond Italy with this material.