Sebastian Koch and Toni Servillo Set for Chess Noir 'The Lüneburg Variation'
Sebastian Koch and Toni Servillo are set to lead 'The Lüneburg Variation', a noir set in the world of chess, and filming has begun in Trieste, according to Variety, published on 22 October 2026.
The film is directed by Gabriele Salvatores. A noir is a crime story, usually dark and tightly plotted, and this one takes chess as its frame. Shooting is planned for nine weeks of principal photography, the main stretch of filming, moving between Trieste in north-eastern Italy and Rome.
The story comes from a novel of the same name by Italian author Paolo Maurensig. The book has been translated into 25 languages, which gives the film a readership before a single frame was shot.
Damian Hardung, Thomas Prenn and Eduardo Scarpetta round out the main cast. Each has a part alongside the two leads, and the production has not yet been described in detail beyond those names.
The film is produced by Raffaella and Andrea Leone through Lotus Production, a company within the Leone Film Group. RAI Cinema, the film arm of Italian public broadcaster RAI, is a co-producer, and Vice Pictures, Indiana and MDE are working in association with the project. The Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission, a regional body that helps productions shoot on location and find local services, is supporting the shoot.
Diego Indraccolo is the director of photography, responsible for how the film looks on screen. Rita Rabassini is production designer, who builds the sets and the visual world. Patrizia Chericoni is costume designer and Federico De Robertis is the composer.
Distribution is split in two. In Italy, the film will be released by RAI Cinema's 01 Distribution, the company that puts films into Italian cinemas. Selling the film to buyers in other countries falls to RAI Cinema International Distribution, which handles what the trade calls international sales.
For a general reader, the path from here is straightforward. The cast and crew are working through the autumn in two Italian cities, and the film will reach audiences through the same RAI family of companies that is financing and selling it.
