Sebastian Koch, Toni Servillo Set for Oscar Winner Gabriele Salvatores’ Chess-World Noir ‘The Lüneburg Variation’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Director Gabriele Salvatores has begun filming 'The Lüneburg Variation,' a noir thriller based on Paolo Maurensig's novel about a decades-long revenge plot centered on chess. The film stars Sebastian Koch and Toni Servillo and is currently in production in Trieste and Rome.
Why it matters
This represents a significant international co-production involving Oscar-winning talent, highlighting trends in European cinema and literary adaptations.
Sebastian Koch, star of Oscar-winning German film "The Lives of Others," and Toni Servillo, protagonist of Italy's Oscar winner "The Great Beauty," are set to topline "The Lüneburg Variation," a noir based in the world of chess, directed by Gabriele Salvatores.
Salvatores – himself also winner of an Oscar for "Mediterraneo" – has started shooting in Trieste on "Lüneburg Variation," which is based on the eponymous novel by Italian author Paolo Maurensig that has been translated into 25 languages. Nine weeks of principal photography are planned between Trieste and Rome.
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