Time to check in: ‘Hotel Costiera’ ranks #1 on Amazon Prime Video in the US
“This is a big moment for all of us,” said Jens Richter, Fremantle’s commercial and international chief executive, who is selling Hotel Costiera in a bid for a strong performance.
“The demand for this type of bold, sky-blue drama is clear. It connects with audiences around the world and ticks all the right boxes for buyers. This is a great example of premium storytelling with a truly global perspective and appeal.”
The show follows Daniel De Luca (Grey’s Anatomy alum Jesse Williams), a half-Italian former U.S. Marine. Daniel returns to his childhood in Italy as a fixer at one of the world’s most luxurious hotels on the Positano coastline.
In addition to dealing with the problems of wealthy guests, Daniel also works to track down Alice, one of the owner’s daughters, who disappeared a month ago. He must do everything in his power to bring her back, but confronting the people who kidnapped the girl will be more difficult than anything Daniel has ever faced.
In an interview with Variety, Jesse Williams admitted that he “really loves the world[of the show].”
“I think I was really drawn to this guy who gives his all to something in the military and has to start all over again. He’s also a character who comes from two worlds. I think there was an element of empathy there as someone who’s American, but also biracial in a polarized country, and who truly is two worlds.”
He added, “At the time, I wanted to think more about global creativity. I always thought it was interesting to think outside the borders of the United States. I went to film school, and that’s the lens through which I see the world. I would look at Fellini and learn about other places like Korea and Japan through film. Americans aren’t always known for our ability to be open and process and absorb other cultures.”
Co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Luca Bernabei for Fremantle company Lux Vide, Hotel Costiera was shot in English and directed by Emmy Award winners Adam Bernstein and Giacomo Martelli. Based on Bernabei’s ideas, the series is written by Elena Bucaccio, Matthew Parkhill, and Francesco Arlanchi.
Also starring are Maria Chiara Giannetta, Jordan Alexandra, Antonio Gerardi, Sam Hagarth, Tommaso Ragno, Amanda Campana, Pierpaolo Sporon, Alejandra Onieba and Jean-Hugues Anglade.
“We had been looking for a story set on the Amalfi Coast for a long time. It’s a place everyone dreams of living in and one of Italy’s most beloved places. Then we came up with the idea of a former U.S. Marine helping the guests of a luxury hotel solve their problems, and everything just fell into place,” admitted Bucaccio, co-creator and head of drama at Lux Vide.
“Thanks to the unwavering support of our incredible partners at Amazon Prime Video, we suddenly had a genre, a perspective, and a format to build upon. ‘Hotel Costiera’ is set in Italy, but it resonates perfectly internationally, and that’s its real strength. Rising to No. 1 in the U.S. on Prime Video underscores this fact.”
