Tom Hollander joins 1950s drama ‘Me, You’ based on Erri De Luca’s novel

Key cast has been announced for the upcoming movie adaptation of Me, You.

Set in the 1950s in post-war Italy, Erri De Luca’s novel Me, You (Tu, Mio) was originally published in 1998.

Naples-born novelist and poet De Luca is the most widely read Italian author alive today.

Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror) is directing the new film version of the book, which is set to begin filming this autumn on the Italian island of Ischia, near Naples.

Leading the British side of the cast are Tom Hollander and Daisy Jacob, alongside Italian star Alessandro Gassmann.

Hollander is best known for his roles in The Night Manager and The Missing spin-off Baptiste.

The 54-year-old English actor was also in ITV’s recent The Ipcress File adaptation:

 

Hollander commented: “I am thrilled to work with [director] Bille.”

Theatre actress Daisy Jacob appeared in 2018’s Vanity Fair mini-series, while Alessandro Gassmann was in Transporter 2.

The story follows 16-year-old London native Marco, who is on holiday in Italy with his father Edward (Hollander).

Marco soon finds himself accompanying fisherman Nicola (Gassman) on his sojourns into the bay of Naples. For Marco, who has been condemned to a Scottish boarding school, the tranquil waters and Nicola’s war stories provide a blessed distraction from his usual life, especially when he meets the 20-year-old Caia (Jacob) and immediately falls for her.

When Marco finds out she narrowly escaped a concentration camp after her father threw her out of a train, it awakens a desire for revenge, which soon plays out on the idyllic island.

Director Bille August commented: “Me, You is probably one of the most beautiful stories ever told about innocent love and purity. About a British boy falling in love with a young woman in the romantic island of Ischia in post wartime.

“Two people who share a dramatic past that connects them on a deeper spiritual level. The film is about the very first love that we all remember and never forget, set during a summer holiday in the charming settings of Italy.”

Me, You is expected to arrive in cinemas in 2023.

Erri De Luca’s novel Me, You (Tu, Mio) is available on Amazon.