Young British actors cast by De Laurentiis

A cast of young British actors is being hired by producer Dino De Laurentiis for a new adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccioo’s ribald 14th century classic The Decameron, reports Daily Variety.

The British writer-director David Leland is writing the script for the story of 10 young Florentines who take refuge in the Italian countryside as the black plague ravages the city, amusing each other with earthy stories about love and adventure.

De Laurentiis stressed that notwithstanding its pre-Renaissance setting, the film has “a very modern feel”.

He told Variety: “The characters experience all the torment, the foolishness and the hope of chasing their hearts’ desires. That such a comic and life-affirming story was written amid one of history’s darkest periods and that it has endured centuries as a staple in the literary canon are testaments to how powerful its themes are.”

The first film based on Boccaccio’s stories, Decameron Nights was produced as a silent film. It was remade under the same title in 1953 and was filmed again in 1970 as Il Decameron.