Woody Allen’s next ensemble piece, which we recently told you would be set in Rome, is about to get a little more Italian.

As the prolific director prepares to open the Cannes Film Festival with his current picture, Midnight In Paris, Deadline reports that Allen “will land” Oscar-winning writer-director Roberto Benigni for his next cast, which already includes Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz and Alec Baldwin. The site goes on to say that Allen could make an announcement regarding Benigni’s involvement in the picture when Paris opens Cannes later this month.

Though Allen and Benigni both lay claim to the prestigious title of Oscar winner, the former’s career has remained steady while the latter’s largely tanked. After nabbing a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the 1997 concentration camp drama Life Is Beautiful, Benigni directed and starred in an ill-fated Pinocchio tale and then promptly disappeared.

Allen has a tendency to bring out the best in a performer, so we’ll see how Benigni clicks as a member of an Allen ensemble … if he joins the as-yet-untitled project at all.