Copyright Variety
Fifteen years after Lucca Comics and Games expanded its scope with a dedicated film and TV section, the Italian geek meet held in the medieval Tuscan town of Lucca has upped its game as a global launching pad for premium scripted fare. This year, Netflix’s final “Stranger Things” season and HBO Max’s “It” prequel “Welcome to Derry,” along with other types of buzzy goods like Japanese video game legend Hideo Kojima’s “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” are set for launches in the town known for its perfectly preserved 16th and 17th century ramparts. As announced, the Duffer Brothers will be attending a fan gathering in Lucca on Halloween along with “Stranger Things” stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp. It may be the biggest coup ever scored by the event – which runs Oct. 29-Nov. 2 – though last year Lucca Comics hosted a similarly high-caliber “Squid Game” junket. Basically, every edition this massive meet – attended by more than 200,000 fans – dedicated to fandom, cosplay and the whole world of comics, including movies and TV, manages to gain more international traction. Variety speaks to Lucca Comics director Emanuele Vietina and Giovanni Cova, who is head of Milan-based entertainment marketing company QMI – Cova leads programming of Lucca’s film and TV strand – about why they are particularly proud of their “Stranger Things” score. Emanuele, how significant is it to get this “Stranger Things” fan gathering event on Halloween? Emanuele Vietina: The presence of “Stranger Things” at Lucca marks a high spot for several reasons. Netflix is creating a major narrative around Lucca. Getting [to launch] their top content, places us on a par with the world’s major capitals that we certainly can’t compete with in terms of number of inhabitants. Similarly, being chosen for what is being dubbed the “gran finale” of Hideo Kojima’s “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” global tour, following stops in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Los Angeles, is a major highlight for us. We’ve placed Lucca within a circuit of cities that have populations in the millions. There are these cities, and then there is Lucca with a population of 80,000. The other significant aspect of having Kojima in Lucca is that Kojima Productions certainly revolutionized the video game world, but they also created a touchpoint between the languages of video games and film. The Lucca Comics experience has now been turned into a movie by multi-hyphenate Manlio Castagna [see separate story]. Are you pleased with the result? Vietina: There have been other films made at festivals, but probably not with the same level of ambition. We hope this one marks something more significant. We sold the rights to make one, or more, [Lucca Comics-themed] movies [to Italian outfit] I Wonder between 2025 and 2030. And we are delighted to be treated not just as content, but as a work of art. It’s a huge recognition for us. The only thing we asked – and we believe Manlio Castagna heeded our call – is that Lucca Comics and Games be used to tell timeless stories that frame universal values. This is truly the beauty of this project, since these stories can speak to kids from Manila, Melbourne, Toronto and Stockholm. That’s because everyone plays the same games: everyone lives within the same emotional framework. Lucca is synonymous with cosplaying. What are the biggest parades going to be this year? Vietina: In terms of parades, the “Death Stranding” world is clearly revving up as a frontrunner. Inevitably, something big is brewing for Nov. 1st for “Death Stranding.” But also for “Critical Role” [the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game]. Matthew Mercer’s genius was to create a broadcast on Twitch that later became an animated TV show on Amazon Prime. So Kojima and Mercer, the two great gods of gaming and video games, will certainly get the most important parades. Giovanni, How is Lucca’s rapport with the U.S. studios and streamers evolving? Giovanni Cova: We are still split roughly 50/50 in the sense that both studios and streamers invest in this event. Disney has always been a big player at Lucca, and they are a bit of both. This year it’s a bit more on the Disney+ side [with previews of “Twisted Wonderland: The Animated Series” and “Cat’s Eye”], although Disney’s [action sci-fi film] “Predator: Badlands” is also launching. So, on the one hand, we have the studios that focus on a specific title, depending on the year. And on the other, we have the streamers. Both Netflix and Prime Video have a big presence. Prime, among other things, is experimenting with Lucca to launch its unscripted format “The Traitors” in Italy. I think it will go very well because the show lends itself to the idea of a game being played in Lucca. So we are happy that Amazon has been bold enough to do this. We are also glad to have Crunchyroll because they choose very few events of this type around the world and they really believe in Lucca. This year Sky [the Comcast-owned pay TV platform] also has a big presence thanks to “Welcome to Derry.” They will use Lucca to its full potential, first with screenings of the show’s two related movies,”It” and “Chapter Two.” And then the world premiere of an episode of the show, followed by an immersive experience on a “Derry Bus” that will transport fans to the mysterious town where the chilling disappearances in the series take place. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Pictured below, from left to right, Emanuele Vietina and Giovanni Cova
