Zerocalcare's graphic novel 'La profezia dell'armadillo' becomes a film

The graphic novel 'La profezia dell'armadillo' by Zerocalcare (Michele Rech) has been adapted into a film directed by debutant Emanuele Scaringi. The movie stars Simone Liberati as Zero, a struggling cartoonist from the Rebibbia district of Rome, and Pietro Castellitto as his friend Secco. The story follows Zero as he navigates odd jobs, visits his mother, and converses with a personified armadillo that represents his conscience. The narrative takes a turn when the death of Camille, an old schoolmate and first love, challenges his certainties. The film was shot in autumn 2017 in Rome and written by Oscar Glioti, Zerocalcare, Valerio Mastandrea, and Johnny Palomba. Glioti noted at Lucca Comics that the screenplay began in 2013, two years after the comic's release, and that the film is a work of fiction loosely inspired by the comics. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2018 and was released in Italian cinemas on September 13, 2018.