John C. Reilly Set to Play Buffalo Bill in Surreal Italian Western ‘Heads or Tails?’ From ‘Tale of King Crab’ Directors

 

Variety

By Nick Vivarelli

December 18, 2024

John C. Reilly will soon appear on the big screen as Buffalo Bill in “Heads or Tails?” a surreal Western by Italian directorial duo Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis (“The Tale of King Crab“). The film is inspired by a true event that took place during Buffalo Bill’s stay in Italy.

Along with the Oscar-nominated U.S. actor – who co-starred with Joaquin Phoenix in Jacques Audiard’s Western “The Sisters Brothers” – the top notch “Heads or Tails?” cast also comprises rising French star Nadia Tereszkiewicz (“Red Island,” “The Crime is Mine”) and Italy’s Alessandro Borghi (“The Eight Mountains,” “Supersex”), in lead roles, and Argentina’s Peter Lanzani (“Argentina, 1985,” “El Angel,” “The Clan”). 

Italian cowboys known as “butteri” –– and hailing from the central Italian plains of northern Lazio up through the coastal Italian region of Maremma into southern Tuscany — have a long-standing connection to Buffalo Bill and the history of America’s Wild West.

Buffalo Bill, born William F. Cody, was a 19th-century American frontiersman who gained fame as a scout, bison hunter, and showman, notably producing the popular “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show, which dramatized frontier life for audiences worldwide. In 1890, Buffalo Bill brought his “Wild West” show to Naples and then travelled north to Rome as part of his European tour that offered an authentic wild frontier experience and showcased American cowboy skills.

“Heads or Tails?,” which is now in post, takes it’s cue from a bet famously waged on the outskirts of Rome between Buffalo Bill’s American cowboys and the Italian cowboys on which team was better at taming wild horses. As Italian legend has it, the Italians won.

The Italy-set Western turns on two young lovers named Rosa and Santino – played by Tereszkiewicz and Borghi – who go on the run after the murder of her husband. “Everyone is on their trail, but no one knows the truth,” reads the provided synopsis. Santino is the Italian cowboy who is instrumental in beating Buffalo Bill’s team.

Borghi, a winner of Italy’s David di Donatello Award for his potent performance as Stefano Cucchi – a young Roman who died after being viciously beaten by the Italian military police, in ‘On My Skin’ (‘Sulla mia pelle’) – is a top Italian box office draw known internationally for financial-world thriller series “Devils,” in which he stars opposite Patrick Dempsey, besides standout roles in “Eight Mountains” and Netflix’s “Supersex” series in which Borghi played porn icon Rocco Siffredi. He will soon appear on the big screen as the lead in Alejandro Amenábar’s “The Captive.”

De Righi and Zoppis made a splash in 2022 at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight with their feature debut “The Tale of King Crab” that, somewhat similarly to “Heads or Tails?,” was a retelling of a local Italian legend.

“Heads or Tails?,” which is titled “Testa o Croce?” in Italian, is co-produced by Tommaso Bertani at Rome-based Ring Film, Massimiliano Navarra, and New York-based producer Alex C. Lo’s  company Cinema Inutile with RAI Cinema. Also on board are Filippo Montalto’s Andromeda shingle, Luigi and Olivia Musini’s Cinemaundici, and Stefano Centini’s Volos Films.

RAI Cinema International is handling international sales on the buzzy title that is expected to surface at a major festival in 2025.