Penelope Cruz reunites with Italian director for “Mondo”

By Staff

Screen International reports that Oscar winning actress Penelope Cruz is teaming up with actor-director Sergio Catellito again in a film adaptation of Italian bestselling war story entitled “Venuto Al Mondo” by Margaret Mazzantini.

Cruz last starred for Castellito in the 2004 drama “Don’t Move” which fared quite well in Italy with over $10 million, but received an indie release in the states, making under $400,000 at the B.O.

“Don’t Move” was based on another novel by Mazzantini who is also the Castellito’s wife.
Though Catellito is still looking for finance partners, his plans are to start production in 2011.

“Venuto al Mondo,” which could be translated as “brought into the world,” takes place in war torn Sarajevo during the Balkans 1990s conflict. Cruz is to play a mother who returns home with her adolescent son in search of their roots.

“Venuto Al Mondo” sold 600,000 copies in Italy and has also been released in Spain and France. Book is set to hit U.S. stores in 2011.

The project will be shot between Rome, Sarajevo, Belgrade and Croatia.

Speaking to Italy’s La Repubblica, Cruz exclaimed ““I have remained friends with Sergio and Margaret since ‘Don’t Move.’ They sent me the Spanish translation of the book, which I read in one sitting and which left me enchanted. I immediately felt I had to do this film, I had to tell this story to the world. That doesn’t happen very often.”