Italy’s Cinecittà Studios Veers Towards Digital Age With Large LED Wall as New Soundstage Prepares to Host Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion of the Christ’ Sequel

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In the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood’s golden era unfolded in Rome, and now, Italy is drawing global productions back – predominantly from Hollywood. This resurgence is fueled by Italy’s attractive tax benefits and a revitalized Cinecittà studio, which has been transformed into a cutting-edge digital age facility.

The key points discussed during the panel, which took place at the EbMaster’s Global Conversations Summit held during the Cannes Film Festival, were the main takeaways.

Nicola Borrelli, who oversees the film department at Italy’s culture ministry, outlined the nation’s 40% incentive for international movie and TV productions. He explained, “Each year, a company in Italy can claim up to €20 million euros ($22 million), but there isn’t a limit per project.” This means that numerous international productions with larger budgets have taken advantage of the rebate by splitting their projects across multiple Italian companies, as Borrelli pointed out.

Another advantage of the refunds in Italy is that 70% of the tax credit can be utilized right away during filming, providing an immediate return on investment, as Borrelli explained. This is unlike other countries where a similar percentage tax credit might not be available until later.

Francesca Rotondo, Sales and Business Manager at Cinecittà, emphasized that their renowned facilities are currently expanding by constructing five additional studios. This will bring the total number of soundstages from 19 to 24. “This expansion represents a significant 60% increase in our studio space capacity,” Rotondo noted. Among these new additions is Studio 22, spanning over 38,000 square feet, set to welcome Mel Gibson’s production of “The Resurrection of the Christ” in September. Additionally, Cinecittà’s Studio 18 will continue to serve as the home for Europe’s largest and most advanced LED wall.

Steve Jelley, a producer and co-CEO at Dimension Studio based in London, who recently collaborated with Cinecittà to boost it into a leading virtual production hub, mentioned that upon his arrival at Cinecittà studio to work with Roland Emmerich on his gladiator series “Those About to Die” (which utilized an LED wall for 40% of the filming), he was unaware of the numerous outstanding open-air Rome sets available at the studio, such as Circus Maximus, and the exceptional quality of its art department. This blend of resources allowed Emmerich to finish shooting the 10-episode series in just six months.

Filming for the U.S. sci-fi thriller “White Mars,” starring Luke Newton (“Bridgerton”) and Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars”), has recently concluded at Cinecittà. Additionally, another unnamed sci-fi movie set in Antarctica was filmed here. Notably, both productions utilized the LED wall at Theater 18 exclusively for filming, as stated by Jelley with pride.

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2025-05-18 11:46