The new Sky Original series Gangs of Milano – Le nuove storie del Blocco premiered on 21 March, exclusively on Sky and streaming on NOW. Comprising eight episodes, the series is directed by Ciro Visco, known for his work on Gomorrah – The Series and Doc – In Your Hands, and who also contributed to the script.
The production is the result of a collaboration between Sky Studios, TapelessFilm and Red Joint Film. Filming took place in Milan and Turin from autumn 2023 to April 2024, over a total of 32 weeks.
The screenplay was written by Paolo Vari, Ivano Fachin, Tommaso Matano, Giovanni Galassi and Ciro Visco himself. The story concept was developed by a team made up of Dario Bonamin, Giuseppe Capotondi, Fabrizio Cestaro, Ivano Fachin, Laura Grimaldi, Naima Vitale, Paolo Piccirillo, Stefano Voltaggio, Paolo Vari and Ciro Visco.
The main cast features Laura Osma as Bea, Alessandro Piavani as Ludo, and Andrea Dodero as Mahdi. A new addition this season is the introduction of the Kasba, a youth collective led by Zak, played by newcomer Fahd Triki, and Nael, played by Noè Nouh Batita. Rapper Salmo returns as Snake and also oversees the series’ soundtrack.
The series airs every Friday in prime time on Sky Atlantic for four weeks, with episodes available on demand, also in 4K HDR. Thanks to Sky Extra, Sky’s loyalty programme, customers of more than three years can access preview episodes on demand with Primissime.
CINEMATOGRAPHY NOTE BY SALVATORE LANDI CCS AND GUIDO MICHELOTTI CCS
The series originates as the second season of Blocco 181, but marks a stylistic and expressive evolution, as the new title suggests. The guidance we received from director Ciro Visco regarding the cinematography was detailed, while still allowing us a great deal of creative freedom; the idea was for each character to be defined by a specific atmosphere and a unique visual identity, which would then, as the stories intertwined, gradually form a mosaic of tones and images. We therefore created several distinct worlds by working with different palettes, varying contrasts, and using different shooting styles that aligned with the protagonists’ narratives and dynamics.
The biggest challenge was maintaining consistency across all eight episodes, as we co-signed the entire season. A key factor in the success of this work was the collaboration with Antonio Merlino (DIT) and Nazzareno Neri (colourist), who oversaw the entire post-production process.
The series was shot on the Sony Venice in a 2:1 aspect ratio with the new Cooke S8/i Full Frame spherical lenses, which offered excellent versatility and allowed us to give depth to the spaces, making them as much protagonists as the characters themselves.
In the sixth episode, there is a shift: from a collective narrative, the story moves into a more intimate and solitary space. The focus of this episode is Snake/Salmo, a fugitive living in hiding. The space around him becomes a cage; to intensify his emptiness and isolation, the aspect ratio expands to 2.70:1 and the spherical lenses are replaced by Cooke Anamorphic Full Frame Special Flare lenses.
