Mafia The Old Country:
Launch Trailer
Scriptwriters:
Rachel Jandak, Brenden Mendez
Crafting a cinematic & Emotional Return to Form
The Brief:
Introduce a new era of Mafia set in 1900s Sicily with a trailer that felt atmospheric, grounded, and dramatic— without giving too much of the story away.
To accomplish that, we created a character-driven script from the main protagonist’s perspective that elevated the visuals and gameplay while keeping the narrative tone true to the franchise and character.
The original trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.
Amara Terra Mia is a mournful Sicilian ballad about the immigrant experience and longing for one’s homeland, a theme that appears later in the game’s narrative.
This modern rendition of a much older Sicilian folk song was historically sung by Sulphur Miners in Sicily. Enzo’s story begins in a Sulphur mine.
Initial Brainstorm
Growing up in New Jersey, I was surrounded by mafia mythology. From The Sopranos, to The Many Saints of Newark, and every neighbor who swore they “knew a guy”.
So when the Creative Director tapped me for this project and cited the original Goodfellas trailer as a tonal reference, I immediately understood the kind of creative we were aiming for.
From there, I began weaving together core motifs from the game itself: the stiletto blade, the sweeping Sicilian landscape, and the themes of family, honor, and sacrifice.
To deepen that foundation, I immersed myself in Sicilian poetry, song, and regional history, uncovering real-life thematic ties to the game, cultural idioms from the time period, and historical descriptions of the Island of Sicily and the people who lived there. These influences helped shape a tone that felt grounded in place and time, rather than the modern iteration of the mafia genre that I was used to and was present in the previous Mafia games.
Using these elements as anchor points, I took the first stab at crafting a script that felt authentic, evocative, and true to the franchise.
This script explores one of the game’s core combat elements— the stiletto, a thin, retractable blade used by mafiosi in the early 1900s. More than a weapon, the stiletto was often an heirloom, carried and passed down through generations.
(Some minor spoilers for Mafia: The Old Country Below)
This script also secretly hints at the romantic interest in the game— Isabella, the Don’s daughter, who Enzo, the protagonist, develops a relationship with. Needless to say, the Don isn’t too happy about their relationship when he finds out. But I suggest playing the game to find out what happens!
Script V1 -
“Power is a Blade”
As a boy, I thought I understood power.
Men think they wield it with violence.
With money. With fear.
When I became a man, I learned that true power is found in Family.
Power is in tradition, in the blade passed from father to son—
Not just a weapon, but a promise: To live a life worthy of wielding it.
Worthy of the one who trusted you with it,
Worthy of who you protect with it.
And everything I’ve done… All the blood I’ve spilled.
Was to be worthy of that trust.
To be worthy of you.
Alternate scripts
While developing the initial V1, I uncovered several compelling narrative directions the trailer could take. I branched these ideas into two alternate scripts— each exploring the same core tone, but with distinct emotional and thematic angles.
“FAMILY”
For as long as I can remember, I wanted more.
Not riches. Not fame. Just more than nothing.
Then they promised me everything.
Power. Purpose. A place to belong.
And in return? They asked for my loyalty.
My obedience. My silence. I gave it—willingly.
Hell, I wore it proudly, like a badge.
But after I met you, I wondered if loyalty was just another word for being owned.
And if all I really did was trade one master for another—
Only this one came with an outstretched hand,
And called itself Family.
“THE HARVEST”
They say the grapes are sweeter when blood is spilled in the vineyards.
That the olives turn darker after war.
If that’s true– Then I have fed this land well.
I’ve watered its roots with loyalty.
Sowed its soil with silence.
I have grown with the lemon trees,
And realized that a taste of power is just as sour as their fruit
Do you blame me for wanting a taste
Of the harvest I sacrificed everything for?
Script V2
Following the Creative Director’s feedback, I pushed the 'power is a blade' concept further, weaving in the deeper themes of family and loyalty explored in my alternate scripts, while drawing additional inspiration from the game’s cinematics and dialogue.
ENZO VO:
In the beginning, I was nothing
[Match flare]
Less than nothing.
[Enzo on Horseback, fleeing the mine]
2K TITLE - HANGER 13 TITLE
In Sicily, even the sun casts long shadows.
[Sicily environmental shots]
They say we’re born with the devil at our table— but me?
[Don Torrisi looks up]
I shook his hand. And he taught me the rules.
[Enzo taking Luca’s hand. Don Torrisi punches someone]
This is my Family now. These are my brothers.
[Montage of Luca, Cesare and Enzo together]
They taught me about honor. Loyalty.
[Don Torrisi putting a hand on Enzo’s shoulder]
As for silence? I learned to stop asking questions
[Enzo sneaking around]
and started taking matters into my own hands.
[Enzo fighting/execution with blade]
In this family, power is a blade.
It carves away at who you were, the person you used to be.
[Initiation scene intro]
Until you can kill with one hand, and toast saluti with the other.
[Act of violence - Match on action - Party scene, clinking wine glasses]
But I could never forget being nothing.
[Enzo looking back to camera on horseback]
How I chose to survive.
[Enzo sweeping the barn, seeing Isabella for the first time]
Here, surviving means giving pieces of yourself to the devil
[Enzo kissed on both cheeks, blood pooling, volcano smoking]
and the devil never gives back.
[Enzo breathing hard in the dark, match lit, knife out]
MAFIA: THE OLD COUNTRY
Final Script
After finalizing the V2 script, the team presented our trailer concept to the studio and dev team. Based on their feedback, we worked to simplify the language and strengthen the thematic ties to the game’s narrative, including the core tenet of “Family Takes Sacrifice”.
ENZO VO:
I know there is a Hell.
I've seen it.
Heaven? I don't know.
I was given a chance. And I chose to take it.
I learned the rules.
And that every choice has a consequence.
I wanted to live, to belong, to be somebody.
If you want something badly enough, you might just get it.
If you're willing to pay the price.
It wasn't about right or wrong.
It wasn't about survival. It was about family.
And family...
...takes sacrifice.