Moriarty Rising: A Sherlock Holmes Tale
Moriarty Rising: A Sherlock Holmes Tale
Directed by Alessio Liguori
At an elite European university, two brilliant young minds unknowingly study the same subject: human behavior. One will become the world's greatest detective. The other - its most dangerous criminal. When an impossible diamond heist stuns Turin and a seductive campus underworld collides with both their worlds, their first meeting ends the only way it could — Moriarty walks free, Holmes is left with nothing but a theory, and the greatest rivalry in history has just begun.
After the Screening: Following the screening, join the creators for a live Q&A.
· AMC 19th Street, Theater 2
Creator Statement
Moriarty Rising is a completely fresh origin story of one of the world's most recognized literary villains, created for a new generation. The goal was not to regurgitate familiar storylines, but to embrace the characters and develop original stories set in modern times. The setting of Turin was intentional, as it served as a perfect plot driver and an authentic reason to exploit the amazing Italian backdrop for a story that is new but feels classic at the same time. The goal is to create a new world with familiar players to be enjoyed through a new medium by a whole new generation of fans.
Filmmaker Bio
Phil Viardo is a two-time Emmy Award-nominated producer and an award-winning director whose credits include several award-winning series and hundreds of aired episodes for ABC, The CW, WE tv, A+E, FYI, Nat Geo, GSN, Univision, and Oxygen.
In 2019, Viardo teamed up with Christopher Knight to launch Former Prodigy Media, out of the gate landing development deals with major studios and networks while building a robust slate of film and TV projects. Their debut feature documentary, Truelove: The Film, went on to win several awards, including the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 2022 Beverly Hills Film Festival. Viardo also executive produced the critically acclaimed animated feature film The Inventor, from Oscar-nominated writer and director Jim Capobianco, starring Daisy Ridley, Stephen Fry, and Marion Cotillard. He is now executive producing Hellfire Club, penned by Oscar-winning screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher and produced by Brian Oliver. Former Prodigy's slate of upcoming projects includes the feature films Monstrosity and The Empresario, as well as a slate of dramatic television series. His short film Emma's Dilemmas, starring Ciara Hanna and Amy Carlson, premiered at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, won Best International Short at the Palermo International Film Festival, and is now being adapted into a feature to film in Italy, to be produced in association with Panorama Films.
Phil is also a pioneer in the emerging "dual-format" genre, having recently produced premium miniseries projects including Wuthering Heights, Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Beauty and The Beast, and The Great Gatsby, which premiered globally in 2026 as both microdramas and independent feature films. His latest slate of premium dual-format projects includes the highly anticipated Sherlock Holmes spin-off adaptation Moriarty Rising: A Sherlock Holmes Tale; the supernatural romance horror title Haunted By You; and the romantic comedy Billionaire's Broken Vow, co-starring Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, all due for release in 2026 in both formats.
Cast & Crew
Director: Alessio Liguori
Creator: Phil Viardo
Writer: Oliver Draiv
Producer: Phil Viardo, Rob McGillivray, Jonathan Miller
Principal Cast: Ethan Vaughan, Ford Leland, Ciaran Cresswell, Rita Pilato
Production Company: Former Prodigy Media, Alation Media, Portrait Pictures, Marquee Content
