A new two-part adaptation of The Three Musketeers is expected to begin production in the summer.
The two films will star Eva Green, Vincent Cassel and François Civil as the trio D’Artagnan, Milady and Athos. Other cast members are to include Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Vicky Krieps and Louis Garrel.
French filmmaker Martin Bourboulon takes the helm, with Dmitri Rassam producing the project and Pathé handling the release. Bourboulon said that “adapting Dumas’s rich work in this day and age has never been more relevant and the desire for a big show on the big screen has never been stronger.”
The first film is titled The Three Musketeers – D’Artagnan with the second called The Three Musketeers – Milady. Both films are to be shot simultaneously in France this summer, with production currently budgeted at €60 million ($73 million). This makes it the biggest film produced in mainland Europe since the start of the pandemic.
The plot will be based on Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 literary classic, and writers Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere say they will channel the author through a sense of adventure. Producer Dimitri Rassam said: “We feel a great deal of responsibility to protect the work of Dumas whilst offering an authentic and exciting cinematic saga for today’s audiences.”
This adaptation will also be the first to introduce a new character, Hannibal, based on the story of the first black musketeer in French history, Louis Anniaba.
2021 marks 100 years since Pathé’s first production of a Musketeers movie, and there have been many recreations since then. Most recently, a 2011 3D adaptation starring Luke Evans, Mads Mikkelson and Orlando Bloom received a negative response from critics and audiences. Other adaptations include live-action and animated Disney versions, as well as productions from Mexico, Russia and the USA.
Filming for the new adaption will begin this summer.
Words by Emily Withers
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