Izhar Harlev, the co-creator and head writer for “Mossad 101” and “The Gordin Cell,” is set to showrun “Maggiore,” a thriller series revolving around the sinking of a boat full of Israeli and Italian intelligence officers on Lake Maggiore in the Swiss Alps.
Ordered by leading Israeli network Yes TV (“Fauda,” “Shtisel”), “Maggiore” is being developed and produced by Dafna Prenner at Israel’s Artza Productions, the banner behind Netflix’s hit show “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem“; Leo Maidenberg at Paris-based Place du Marché and Jad Ben Ammar at Kador (“Sisters in Arms“) and his new banner Talea Produzioni in Italy.
The eight-part series will revolve around the sinking of the small boat on Lake Maggiore on May 28 and the chain of events that followed the tragedy. The boat sank after being hit by a violent storm. Out of the 23 passengers on board, four people drowned, including a former agent of Israel’s spy agency Mossad, two Italian intelligence officers and a Russian woman.
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The shipwreck has been the subject of wild speculations with some Italian outlets claiming the boat trip was hosting a private meeting between Israeli and Italian intelligence offers, as the BBC reported. As many as 21 people on the boat were spies or former spies, including 13 from the Mossad and eight from the Italian intelligence services, according to the New York Times. The location of the drowning has also sparked some conspiracy theories, being between Lombardy, which manufactures technology for military and civilian use, and Switzerland, where intelligence members routinely transit, as pointed out by the BBC. The shipwreck is currently being investigated by Iocal authorities while the boat’s skipper is being investigated on suspicion of negligent homicide.
Harlev, who also worked on “Your Honor” and “Valley of Tears,” is writing the script of “Maggiore” with story editor Ester Namdar Tamam, who was a writer on “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem.”
“There are way more questions than answers about what really took place on that boat and what happened in the aftermath of its sinking,” Prenner told Variety. “For instance, why did Israel send a private plane to evacuate the Israeli victims?” The series will raise other questions, such as why survivors immediately disappeared from the scene, who the Russian wife of the boat’s captain was and how Iran and Russia fit in the story.
The producer said an investigative journalist is also part their team and has access to behind-the-scenes information through inside sources.
Ben Ammar, meanwhile, said the idea behind “Maggiore” was to create a mystery series portraying Italian intelligence officers in a way they’ve never been shown. “Like ‘The Bureau’ was the first series to show that French spies could be sexy enough to lure international audiences, we want to do the same with Italians,” said Ben Ammar, who recently bowed the Italian outfit Talea Produzioni. He said the series might be expanded into an anthology revolving around mysterious accidents.
Maidenberg said the show will also be packed with suspense and action, bringing together a strong creative team who have worked on some of the best contemporary thrillers with geo-political elements. Maidenberg said “Maggiore” will be budgeted at roughly $2 million per episode, with a cast of Israeli and European actors.
Place du Marché and Artza Productions are already working on “Hooligans” (with Elvie Productions), an Israeli series penned by Lee Gilat (“Tehran,” “Your Honor”) and Harlev about a delivery boy who unwillingly becomes an infiltrator within the Israeli right-wing movement.
“There are a lot of affinities between French and Israeli talent and producers, and broadcasters in our respective countries often look for the same type of shows,” Prenner said. “Hooligans” has been ordered by Canal+ in France and Kan 11 in Israel.
Besides shows like “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” and “Stockholm,” Artza Productions has also delivered formats such as “Couch Diaries” and “The Grand Plan.”
