Sandokan, Can Yaman Reveals a Shocking Behind-the-Scenes Story: How He Nearly Risked His Life on Set During Filming

Airing in prime time on Rai 1 on December 1, Sandokan arrives as a truly “new” project—not a remake of the famous 1970s TV series, something Can Yaman himself is quick to point out. The actor takes on the role of the legendary Tiger of Malaysia, the iconic character created by the pen of Emilio Salgari. Speaking about the series, Yaman shared a shocking behind-the-scenes anecdote, revealing that he performed all of his scenes himself—without the use of stunt doubles.

Can Yaman’s Warning: Don’t Call It a Remake

Producer Luca Bernabei of Lux Vide, director Jan Michelini, and Nicola Abbatangelo—who directed two episodes—have brought a 1970s legend back to life, but be careful about calling it a remake. Sandokan returns to the screen in a completely new way: exciting, modern, and with a different point of view on the legendary character created by Emilio Salgari in his famous series of novels, and first portrayed on TV by Bollywood star Kabir Bedi. Premiering December 1, 2025, in prime time on Rai 1, Can Yaman is ready to see how the public will receive it. The Turkish star worked extremely hard on it—he even moved to Italy after his early success with soap operas, specifically for this project, as he told Tv Sorrisi e Canzoni.

“We made it in a completely different version, with a bit of recklessness and also self-irony. We didn’t think about the 1976 series—our intention wasn’t to do a remake. I left Turkey in 2021 and came to Italy exactly for Sandokan. I knew nothing about the character, because in my country he isn’t known. I had about 8 or 9 months to learn everything, but then because of Covid and other reasons, the production stopped.”

Can explained that this is why he took on other jobs in the meantime, like Viola Come il Mare—a big success for him with the role of Francesco Demir—and the international production El Turco. Beyond the physical effort (Yaman had to lose ten kilos in under a month), the actor admits he also made a huge emotional effort to bring out Sandokan’s soul: “a human hero, who doesn’t kill unless it’s necessary.”

Of course, not everything went smoothly on set—especially because Yaman never wanted stunt doubles. Here’s what happened.

Can Yaman and the Shocking Behind-the-Scenes Moment From Sandokan

For Can Yaman, this is a key project—shot entirely in English—with the hope that his Sandokan will make waves worldwide. The Turkish actor confessed that he can be a bit over-the-top when it comes to filming even the most dangerous scenes, admitting he chose not to use stunt doubles despite how risky certain sequences were. Everything was carefully planned with director Jan Michelini. One scene in particular put him in real danger, as he revealed to Tv Sorrisi e Canzoni:

“One scene you’ll see in the very first episode. I was on a canoe that blows up after an explosion. When I fell into the water, the costume wrapped around my whole body—I felt trapped, and I didn’t know how to free myself. Luckily, the director, who was filming underwater, noticed and rushed to help me.”

In short, Yaman had a close call—but that didn’t make him change his mind. After all, he’s admitted that his personal goal is always to look for a new challenge, as well as new characters and languages to explore—trying his luck in any country that offers an interesting opportunity. In recent weeks, for example, he has been filming the new Spanish TV drama Il Labirinto delle Farfalle.

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Une publication partagée par Sandokan (@sandokanrai)