Daily Archives: October 22, 2024

‘Les Misérables’ Helmer Ladj Ly to Write and Direct ‘Dumas: Black Devil,’ Film About Trailblazing French General From ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ Producers (EXCLUSIVE)

Ladj Ly, the French filmmaker whose bold feature debut “Les Misérables” won the jury prize at Cannes in 2019 and earned an Oscar nomination, is set to write and direct “Dumas: Black Devil.” The epic film is being produced by Dimitri Rassam‘s Chapter 2 (a Mediawan company) and Pathé, the makers of French box office hit “The Count of Monte Cristo” and two-part adventure saga “The Three Musketeers.”
“Dumas: Black Devil” will also be produced by Srab Films, which has been behind all of Ly’s movies, including “Les Misérables.” Pathé will distribute the movie and handle international sales. Although the budget has not been unveiled, it’s expected to be one of the most ambitious French projects to go into production in 2025. The cast will include major French and international stars.

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Ly will adapt the lesser-known story of Thomas Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie Dumas, who was born a Caribbean slave in 1762 and beat the odds by rising through the ranks to become a revolutionary French general. The son of a nobleman, Marquis Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, and an African slave, Marie-Cessette Dumas, he became the first and highest-ranking Black leader in the French military and served under Napoleon Bonaparte. But despite his many exploits, which earned him the nickname of “Black Devil,” his role in the French Revolution was underplayed and he was even denied a full pension and legion of honor by Bonaparte.

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General Dumas’ heroic achievements and tumultuous life inspired his son, the famous French author Alexandre Dumas, to pen his literary masterpieces “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte-Cristo.” Although he was not even 4 years old when he father died of stomach cancer, Alexandre Dumas cherished his legacy.

Ly said, “I was immediately captivated by the story of Dumas, the first Black general in the French army. I can’t wait to bring this story to the big screen, as it will reveal a forgotten part of our history.” The helmer, who started his career making documentaries and made a big splash at Cannes with his feature debut “Les Misérables,” has always been compelled to tell stories revolving around underdog characters fighting the status quo.

Chapter 2 and Pathé are still hot off “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the sprawling movie directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière which world premiered out of competition at Cannes and has so far sold over 9 million tickets in France since opening on June 28. It ranks as 2024’s second highest-grossing local language film — a rare feat for a French costume movie that isn’t a comedy.

Instead of immediately embarking on a sequel to “The Count of Monte Cristo,” Rassam, a history buff who presides over Chapter 2, said he was compelled to shed light on the source of Dumas’ lifelong inspiration.

“Whilst diving into Alexandre Dumas’ work, I stumbled upon the story of his father, the General Dumas. I was taken aback by the absolutely extraordinary life journey of and quite surprised it wasn’t more well known,” said Rassam, adding that “it felt evident that Ladj Ly would be the perfect match to bring to the screen this story, which deserves a movie as complex and fascinating as General Dumas was.”

After “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” Rassam said “honoring the legacy of the Dumas’ family has taken an even greater importance” and “‘Dumas: Black Devil’ has all the ingredients for the making of an extremely compelling movie.”

Ardavan Safaee, Pathé Films president, said Ly’s “unique artistic vision” will “bring to life the extraordinary story of General Dumas, a forgotten figure in French history.”

“This cinematic journey will not only celebrate our rich heritage but also resonate with universal themes of courage, honor and justice,” said Safaee, who added that the ambitious project “embodies Pathé Films’ commitment to showcasing authentic French stories with global appeal.”

“This new project will delve into the genesis of Alexandre Dumas by exploring the life of General Dumas, whose uniquely remarkable actions would later contribute to shaping the narratives that have forged our literary history,” Safaee continued.

Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral, producers and co-founders of Srab Films, said they looked forward to pursuing “their partnership with Ladj Ly” who will bring his “unique vision” to the project and will be “exploring new cinematic frontiers.”

“We are pleased to be embarking on this adventure with Chapter 2 and Pathé to bring this incredible story to the widest audience,” Ayadi and Barral concluded.

Tom Holland to star alongside Matt Damon in new Christopher Nolan movie

(Credits: YouTube Still) Tue 22 October 2024 10:37, UK Spider-Man star Tom Holland has been cast in a new film directed by Christopher Nolan. The English actor joins Matt Damon, whose involvement was announced earlier this month.Nolan has penned the script for the secretive project and is also set to produce the film alongside his wife and Syncopy Inc co-founder Emma Thomas. The couple have worked together on all of Nolan’s previous features. Details about the plot of the upcoming film are yet to be revealed, but a release date has been announced. The untitled project is set to arrive on July 17th, 2026. Nolan won universal acclaim with his last offering, 2023’s Oppenheimer, which starred Cillian Murphy in the title role. The film followed the story of Robert Oppenheimer as he developed the atomic bomb and his subsequent regret. Damon also starred in the film as Leslie ‘Dick’ Groves, a lieutenant general in the US Army.Oppenheimer became part of a cultural phenomenon when it was juxtaposed against Greta Gerwig’s Barbie due to their coinciding release date. The pair of films were dubbed Barbenheimer by fans online. The film also performed exceptionally during awards season, taking home seven Academy Awards and earning Nolan his first ‘Best Director’ win. While Damon has collaborated with Nolan before, this will mark Holland’s first time working with the director. The actor is most well-known for his role as Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Holland landed the role in the mid-2010s, making his first appearance as the arachnid superhero in Captain America: Civil War. Since then, he has led a trilogy of feature films focused on Spider-Man and appeared in ensemble Marvel films such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He is set to reprise the role in the fourth Spider-Man film and will likely make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday. Holland’s most recent full-length feature was Uncharted in 2022, which adapted its story from the video game of the same name. Holland took on the role of protagonist Nathan Drake and the film took the box office by storm. A sequel is in the works, though Holland’s involvement is yet to be announced. Since then, Holland has appeared in Todd Graff’s television series The Crowded Room alongside Amanda Seyfried and Emmy Rossum. Between several Spider-Man projects and a collaboration with Nolan, Holland’s shooting schedule seems to be picking up.Holland and Damon are the only cast members to have been announced for Nolan’s new film, which is expected to arrive in the summer of 2026.[embedded content]Related TopicsSubscribe To The Far Out Newsletter

Tom Holland to star alongside Matt Damon in new Christopher Nolan movie

(Credits: YouTube Still) Tue 22 October 2024 10:37, UK Spider-Man star Tom Holland has been cast in a new film directed by Christopher Nolan. The English actor joins Matt Damon, whose involvement was announced earlier this month.Nolan has penned the script for the secretive project and is also set to produce the film alongside his wife and Syncopy Inc co-founder Emma Thomas. The couple have worked together on all of Nolan’s previous features. Details about the plot of the upcoming film are yet to be revealed, but a release date has been announced. The untitled project is set to arrive on July 17th, 2026. Nolan won universal acclaim with his last offering, 2023’s Oppenheimer, which starred Cillian Murphy in the title role. The film followed the story of Robert Oppenheimer as he developed the atomic bomb and his subsequent regret. Damon also starred in the film as Leslie ‘Dick’ Groves, a lieutenant general in the US Army.Oppenheimer became part of a cultural phenomenon when it was juxtaposed against Greta Gerwig’s Barbie due to their coinciding release date. The pair of films were dubbed Barbenheimer by fans online. The film also performed exceptionally during awards season, taking home seven Academy Awards and earning Nolan his first ‘Best Director’ win. While Damon has collaborated with Nolan before, this will mark Holland’s first time working with the director. The actor is most well-known for his role as Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Holland landed the role in the mid-2010s, making his first appearance as the arachnid superhero in Captain America: Civil War. Since then, he has led a trilogy of feature films focused on Spider-Man and appeared in ensemble Marvel films such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He is set to reprise the role in the fourth Spider-Man film and will likely make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday. Holland’s most recent full-length feature was Uncharted in 2022, which adapted its story from the video game of the same name. Holland took on the role of protagonist Nathan Drake and the film took the box office by storm. A sequel is in the works, though Holland’s involvement is yet to be announced. Since then, Holland has appeared in Todd Graff’s television series The Crowded Room alongside Amanda Seyfried and Emmy Rossum. Between several Spider-Man projects and a collaboration with Nolan, Holland’s shooting schedule seems to be picking up.Holland and Damon are the only cast members to have been announced for Nolan’s new film, which is expected to arrive in the summer of 2026.[embedded content]Related TopicsSubscribe To The Far Out Newsletter

Al Pacino donated pay from ‘exploitative’ movie

Al Pacino donated his entire salary from an “exploitative” gay film to charity.The 84-year-old Hollywood icon wrote in his new memoir ‘Sonny Boy’ that his donations were anonymous and had never revealed the fact until now, following his role in the 1980 crime thriller ‘Cruising’, which sees a serial killer targeting gay men.He claims the producers of the William Friedkin film begged him to defend the movie, writing: “After all, they had paid me a lot of money, and I wasn’t going to just abandon them.“But I wanted to go somewhere far away from the madness. I’d had enough.”Despite giving his paycheque to a good cause, Pacino admitted he’s still not sure if it “eased his conscience”.He added: “I never accepted the paycheque for ‘Cruising’. I took the money, and it was a lot, and I put it in an irrevocable trust fund, meaning once I gave it, there was no taking it back.“I don’t know if it eased my conscience, but at least the money did some good.“I didn’t want to make it a PR stunt, I just wanted one positive thing to come out of that experience.”The ‘Godfather’ star played detective Steve Burns, who finds himself immersed in New York’s gay S+M subculture in a bid to hunt down a serial killer.During filming, the flick was hit with backlash, with gay rights advocates protesting due to its “exploitative” nature.However, he admits he “didn’t see it as that when I was doing it”, and was not “as sensitive” as he could have been back then.Even though it initially received bad reviews, ‘Cruising’ went on to become a classic.In his tell-all, Pacino penned: “To this day, it’s still the biggest film I ever did.“The residuals still support me. I can live on it. I mean, if I lived like a normal person. But, it does contribute, let’s put it that way.”