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The legendary Gauls are back! Astérix & Obélix: The Big Fight, a brand-new animated series, is coming to Netflix on April 30. Created by Alain Chabat, the writer and director behind the 2002 hit Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cleopatra, this new adventure brings the classic comic book heroes to life in a fresh and exciting way.

The story takes place in 50 BC, when the Roman Empire has conquered almost all of Gaul. However, one small village still resists, thanks to a powerful magic potion that gives its warriors incredible strength. But trouble arises when the village druid, who makes the potion, loses his memory. Without it, the villagers must find a way to stand up to the mighty Romans on their own.

The show is inspired by The Battle of the Chieftains (Le Combat des Chefs), the seventh book in the beloved Astérix comic series created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

“The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely! One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders …”

Thus begins the tale of Astérix and Obélix, beloved fixtures of the French comic book franchise created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo in 1959. Since that time, the two Gaul warrors who take on the Romans with the help of a magic potion brewed by their druid have appeared in 40 volumes translated into more than 120 languages, and adapted into 15 films, including the 2023 Netflix live action movie Astérix and Obélix: The Middle Kingdom.

Now, the duo is back in Astérix and Obélix: The Big Fight, a new French-language animated series created by Alain Chabat, writer and director of the 2002 live-action hit Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. Chabat will also direct, along with Fabrice Joubert; he co-wrote the...

Global streamer Netflix has unveiled a teaser and new photos for the upcoming Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, a French-language animated series based on the popular comic book franchise Asterix & Obelix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo that is set for release in spring 2025.

Alain Chabat, writer and director of the blockbuster 2002 live-action hit Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, created the series and is directing it with Fabrice Joubert. Mission Cleopatra, starring Christian Clavier as Asterix and Gérard Depardieu as Obelix, grossed more than $128 million at the global box office.

“Rome is desperate to conquer the last independent village in Gaul and the home of Asterix and Obelix,” according to a synopsis of Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, produced by Alain Goldman and from animation studio Tat Productions. “The secret to the Gauls’ battle superiority is a magic potion, but when the potion master loses his memory, the...

It was the year 2002 when iconic Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci donned a gold gown for the role of Cleopatra. Starring in a film titled Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, the film is simply one of the greatest ever made.

Gadot is known for playing Wonder Woman in the Dceu | Credits: DC Films

Before talks of Gal Gadot portraying the role of Cleopatra came to light, Monica Bellucci had already done it decades ago. Even after 2 decades, fans are still admiring the actress and her beauty.

When Monica Bellucci Portrayed The Role of Queen Cleopatra

Credit where credit is due, the French name for the film is actually Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre. The 2002 film is a German-French comedy/adventure movie by director Alain Chabat.

Monica Bellucci in Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra | Credits: Katharina/Renn Productions

Starring a plethora of characters, the film had Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu...

Matt Dillon, Alice Diop and Karla Sofia Gascon will bring their springtime spirit to this month’s Nouvelles Vagues Film Festival, now running from June 18 – 23 in Biarritz. Launched last year with the support of Chanel, the nascent festival invites both established and emerging talents to share an expansive vision of youth, hosting a competition dedicated to young adult stories overseen by a jury all under the age of 35.

“Across all sections, this festival shines the spotlight on younger generations and celebrates young characters on screen,” says programing director Lili Hinstin. “We wanted to look to the future through the prism of the next generation, and to interrogate the questions and contemporary issues important to them.”

To that end, this sophomore edition kicked off with the world premiere of “Night Call,” a Brussels-set thriller, taking place over the course of one heated night, foisting an unsuspecting locksmith into a criminal underworld...

The Annecy Animation Festival is a special place where the majority of attendees are animation students and young folks just getting their start in the industry. There is a palpable excitement and genuine desire to know how these projects are made that is simply not present at any other festival or convention. But, much like Comic-Con, the studio presence is increasing with every year and trying to overwhelm attendees' attention with flashy titles, known IP, and big name talent. Sometimes it works great, though, like in 2022 when Netflix gave a bunch of auteurs the space to realize their passion projects and showcased movies such as "Wendell & Wild" and Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio."

This year, Netflix returned to Annecy with another big presentation showcasing some of its upcoming titles, including Zack Snyder's animated show "Twilight of the Gods" and the many other titles it has coming out in the next year or so.

Studiocanal and Editions Albert René have signed an exclusive development agreement for the fifth live action movie inspired by the adventures of French comic strip hero Asterix.

The deal comes as French publishing house Éditions Albert René marks the 65th anniversary of the creation of the plucky Gaul warrior Asterix and his sidekick Obelix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo in 1959.

Since then, 400 million Asterix books in 130 languages and dialects have sold worldwide, with 40 albums of Asterix adventures published since 1961.

The Asterix & Obelix comic books are embedded in French culture and have inspired five live-action films to date: Claude Zidi’s Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (1999), Alain Chabat’s Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann’s Asterix At The Olympic Games (2008), Laurent Tirard’s Asterix & Obelix: God Save Britannia (2012) and Guillaume Canet’s Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom (2023).

They have had mixed fortunes...

Studiocanal and Editions Albert René have signed an exclusive development agreement for the sixth live-action film of the adventures of beloved French comic book character Asterix.

Created in 1959 by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, Asterix is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2024. The series follows the adventures of Asterix and Obelix and their friends who live in a small village in Gaul, the only outpost of resistance against Julius Caesar’s mighty Roman empire. Since the characters were launched, they have become a cultural phenomenon, both in France and internationally.

Some 400 million Asterix books in 130 languages and dialects have been sold. Since 1961, 40 albums of Asterix adventures have been published and five live-action films have been produced.

The Asterix live-action films are “Asterix and Obelix take on Caesar” (1999), “Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra” (2002), “Asterix at the Olympic Games” (2008) “Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia” (2012) and Asterix and Obelix : The Middle Kingdom...

French-Moroccan actor and comedian Jamel Debbouze is urging tourists to keep visiting Morocco in the wake of an earthquake in the country’s Atlas Mountains region that has killed close to 3,000 people.

The quake which measured 7 on the Richter scale hit late on Friday night local time and had its epicenter high in the Atlas Mountains, roughly 43.5 miles south of Marrakech, the old city of which suffered extensive damage.

Most the devastation is in the mountains, where whole villages have been destroyed and more that 300,000 people are impacted.

France-based Debbouze, who retains strong links with the country where he spent part of his childhood, travelled to the quake-hit city of Marrakech in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

The actor and comedian, whose credits include Amélie, Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cleopatra and the Oscar-nominated wartime drama Days Of Glory, was filmed donating blood in a Marrakech hospital.

He told French...

Ticket sales in July up 33.13% compared with same month in 2022; Barbie and Oppenheimer alone accounted for 25% of admissions.

After a slow summer start with dipping ticket sales in June, the French box office jumped back to life in July with 18.38m tickets sold, powered by ‘Barbenheimer’ and US blockbusters. Ticket sales were up 33.3% compared to the same month in 2022 and 10.1% more than the pre-pandemic 2017-2019 average.

Warner Bros’ Barbie and Universal’s Oppenheimer alone accounted for 25% of ticket sales for the month. Barbie led the pack with 2.6m admissions followed by Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny, released on June 28 in France,...

Cleopatra is one of the most iconic and famous people in the world. There is no doubt that the former female ruler of Ancient Egypt was one of the most influential in history, and that influence is something that is still recognized in the modern era.

There have been a number of films to have been made about her, with many of them having gone on to achieve plenty of success. When it comes down to trying to work out the best 10 films to have featured her, it can become rather tricky. While the sheer number of them makes it difficult, it is also important to recognize that there are many that are simply brilliantly put together, and the actresses that portrayed the former empress did a stellar job.

What are the 10 best Cleopatra films?

When trying to think of the 10 best Cleopatra films to have ever been released, it...

Hello and welcome back, Insiders. Jesse Whittock here to guide you through another week in film and TV. Onwards to the weekend…

UK Production Booms… Sort Of

Slow Horses

Feeling a little peaky: There was a lot of good news in the BFI’s latest official production spend stats – and some worrying stuff, too. The top line figures for the UK’s film and TV industries were excellent: record spend of £6.3Bn (7.8Bn), up more than £600M on the (also record-setting) £5.6Bn from 2021. Film production was up a welcome 27 to almost £2Bn but high-end TV (Hetv) once again provided the lion’s share (£4.3Bn), as shows like Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Slow Horses and Top Boy drove up spend. Inwards investment – a fancy way of saying ‘money from overseas’ – accounted for 88 of that total, but Hetv spend was actually down 3 year-on-year. As we all know, U.

Guillaume Canet’s ambitious 64M euros (70M) production Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom was on track to be the top opener at the French box office on Wednesday, but it remains to be seen whether the film can match the success of its predecessors.

Pathé released the title on 950 screens across France in the biggest theatrical launch of early 2023 for local productions. The mini-major bankrolled the film and is also a producer alongside Alain Attal’s Tresor Films and Yohan Baiada at Les Enfants Terribles.

In first figures for the Paris region, which can be a bellwether for box office performance across the rest of the country, especially for mainstream local productions like Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, the film scored the strongest opening.

By 2 pm local time, the film had drawn 9,091 spectators in 84 theaters, split between 3,274 admissions on 29 screens in the city and 5,817 admissions in outer Paris.

French actor and director Guillaume Canet has revealed he is feeling the pressure ahead of the release next week of his ambitious 70M production Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom.

Canet directs and stars in the film as iconic plucky Gaul Asterix in an all-star ensemble cast also featuring Gilles Lellouche as Obelix, Vincent Cassel as Julius Caesar, Marion Cotillard as Cleopatra and Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović as Caesar’s bodyguard Antivirus.

The production is Canet’s eighth feature after 2006 breakout Tell No One, 2010 hit Little White Lies, Brooklyn-set, English-language debut Blood Ties and the smaller more personal pandemic-shot film Lui.

Long-time collaborator Alain Attal at Trésor Films produces with Pathé and Yohan Baiada at Les Enfants Terribles.

Pathé will launch Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom on 1,200 screens on February 1. Local media is hailing the release as the biggest film event of early 2023.

Canet has said he...

Feature inspired by work of René Goscinny, Jean-Jaques Sempé to open December 16.

Annecy best feature film winner Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be from France’s Foliascope and Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions has secured a key distribution deal and will open in the US through Buffalo 8 on December 16.

Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre (I Lost My Body) directed the feature based on the bestselling French children’s book series Le Petit Nicholas. The 2D film takes place in 1960s Paris and weaves together the adventures of schoolboy Nicholas and his legendary creators, writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jaques Sempé.

Goscinny...

Feature inspired by work of René Goscinny, Jean-Jaques Sempé to open December 16.

Annecy best feature film winner Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be from France’s Foliascope and Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions has secured a key distribution deal and will open in the US through Buffalo 8 on December 16.

Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre (I Lost My Body) directed the feature based on the bestselling French children’s book series Le Petit Nicholas. The 2D film takes place in 1960s Paris and weaves together the adventures of schoolboy Nicholas and his legendary creators, writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jaques Sempé.

Goscinny...

A new French late show, fronted by popular actor, director and writer Alain Chabat launched on France’s TF1 amid much fanfare this week in the country’s latest attempt to crack the late-night talk show format.

Running Monday to Friday from 10.55 pm, Le Late Avec Alain Chabat kicked off on Monday (November 21), with the host joking in his opening spiel: “I nearly did this show in 2018, but it was during the World Cup in Russia, so it was a bit touchy. But now, it’s in Qatar, so tout va bien.”

The show was commissioned by TF1 Executive Vice President, Content Ara Aprikian to fill a late-night slot that opened up due to the timing of the Qatar World Cup soccer matches, earlier in the evening.

Chabat is no stranger to TV studio shows, having first found fame in the late 1980s as co-creator of popular Canal+ comedy sketch program Les Nuls,...

“The Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be” by Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon is having its world premiere at a Special Screening at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20.

Several years in the making, the film brings together the world-famous French schoolboy and his creators, author René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé, as it goes back and forth between their world and his imaginary world.

Translated into more than 30 languages, the Little Nicholas short stories have been adapted to fiction but never to animation until now. For the creative team, it was essential to stay true both to Goscinny’s short stories and to Sempé’s drawings.

“The main challenge was to create the Little Nicholas’ world in animation and, at the same time, remain faithful to Sempé’s style – his drawings are very small, they’re made in ink, which gives them a sort of awkward but very lively energy,...

French actor, director, producer and writer Edouard Baer, in Lyon for the premiere of “Adieu Paris!” at the Lumière Festival, drew endless laughs from his audience at his masterclass in the city’s Comédie Odéon theater.

Displaying a gifted talent for improvisation, Baer amused the audience with self-deprecating tirades and anecdotes. Commenting on the short introductory film displaying his career highlights, he told the crowd: “It’s easy to make me look good with smooth editing and good music. Really, it’s just a succession of small accidents. There aren’t just masterpieces there. But from bad movies to acceptable ones, you build a small career and then you die happy,” he smiled.

Baer brings together a stellar cast in “Adieu Paris!” including Gérard Depardieu, Pierre Arditi, Jean-Francois Stévenin – who passed away in July and to whom the film is dedicated – and Belgian duo Benoît Poelvoorde and François Damiens, who...

French filmmaker and actor Guillaume Canet has been hired to direct a new live action entry in the Asterix & Obelix franchise.

Canet will also star alongside Gilles Lellouche.

The Silk Road is based on an original story written by Philippe Mechelen and Julien Hervé and will see the titular duo head to China.

The project is a co-production between Pathé Films, Les Enfants Terribles and Les Productions des Trésor. Shoot is set for 2020.

Pathé International is handling world sales and will be taking the film to the Afm.

The Silk Road is the latest property based on the much-loved French comics from writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. The series has spawned numerous animated features, including 2018’s The Secret Of The Magic Potion, which grossed $46m globally, and live action features including 2002’s Asterix And Obelix Meet Cleopatra, which took $128m globally.

This morning, director Canet unveiled himself and...

Mac Guff, the Paris-based animation company behind Despicable Me, will take on the Gauls in a new 3D adventure fronted by Alexandre Astier. The French actor, writer and director revealed to the French site NoWatch.tv that he will pen and co-direct Astérix: Le Domaine Des Dieux, based on the comic Asterix The Mansions of the Gods. Set for release in 2014, the 3D animated feature will be produced by M6 Studios, part of the M6 Group, and distributed through Snd in France.

This will be the fourth major Asterix feature since 1999’s Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar. It was followed by Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra in 2002 and Asterix at the Olympic Games in 2008, in which Astier starred alongside Gérard Depardieu. Find out more about Asterix and watch Astier’s interview (in French) after the jump.

Comics are a huge part of French culture and Asterix is probably one of the most famous series,...

PARIS -- A film about a band of trashy, loud-mouthed 50-something characters on vacation has captured the imagination of French filmgoers, smashing a series of boxoffice records in France, and raking in €39 million ($46.4 million) from 950 screens nationwide in the two weeks since its Feb. 1 opening. Les Bronzes 3: Amis Pour La Vie has had a phenomenal take-off, with opening week tally of 3.9 million tickets sold surpassing previous French opening-week toppers Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (3.7 million), Taxi: 2 (3.5 million) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (3.1 million). But this is no ordinary sequel -- the six raucous characters featured in Amis have become French cultural icons since they starred in their debut film Les Bronzes (The Suntanned Ones) in 1978. Set at a Club Med resort on the Ivory Coast, the first film parodied the pettiness of brash young French tourists in the 1970s, who equated vacations with sexual conquests.

PARIS -- Alain Delon will play Caesar in the third installment of the lucrative Gallic comic strip franchise Asterix, which is due to go into production next spring, the film's producers said Wednesday. Asterix at the Olympic Games will also star Benoit Poelvoorde (Podium) as Brutus, while Gerard Depardieu will reprise his role as the corpulent Gallic warrior Obelix. But Christian Clavier will not return to play the title character for the third time and casting is still underway for the role, according to the film's publicists.

PARIS -- Postproduction group Duran Duboi has joined Paris-based Quinta Communications to salvage Duran, which was declared insolvent by a French court in April, Duran chief Pascal Herold said Thursday. Four other companies, including an American consortium, were in the race to take over Duran, which owns one of the biggest postproduction facilities in the world. The company is best known for its visual effects, digital editing and 3-D animation for television and films, including Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Luc Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen. But Herold, who co-founded the firm, says none of the bidders were willing to meet the price he quoted. Herold will remain its chief, with Quinta taking over Duran's assets and injecting €3 million ($3.37 million) into the ailing company.

The sexy dress Monica Bellucci donned for her portrayal of Cleopatra has been stolen from a French hotel - by a waiter who wanted to impress girls. The exquisite outfit the Matrix Reloaded beauty wore in the 2002 French film Asterix And Obelix: Mission Cleopatra is worth $180,000, as it is spun from gold thread. The unique garment went missing on Sunday from the Martinez Hotel, where it had been on show during the Cannes Film Festival. The thief, who had just started work at the hotel as a waiter, was arrested on Tuesday and quickly confessed he had wanted the dress as a gift for two girls he had met only hours earlier. The three have been released, but will be charged with theft. The dress was returned to its owner - a firm specializing in film costumes - but it has been badly damaged.

PARIS -- Pathe Distribution, the film distribution and international sales arm of French giant Pathe, said Wednesday that Olivier Granier will replace Marc Bonduel as head of the company. Granier, the chief of French production companies RF2K and Galfin Prods., will retain his positions as director general of the Comedie! channel and co-manager of the Cuisine TV channel, both majority-owned by Pathe. He starts his new post Wednesday. Bonduel, who led Pathe Distribution for only a year, helped put Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra on a record 950 screens in France, drawing 14.5 million viewers. The company declined to elaborate on Bonduel's exit, and Bonduel was not available for comment Wednesday. With Pathe, RF2K and Galfin Prods. produced Franco Zeffirelli's Callas Forever, Gerard Jugnot's Monsieur Batignole and Pitof's Vidocq.

The Pope has convinced Gerard Depardieu to take up the role of St. Augustine of Hippo in an attempt to spread the word of Christianity. The Frenchman, who was in Rome to promote his latest film Asterix And Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, was confronted by the head of the Catholic church over his resemblance to the fourth century author of The Confessions. He, like the Green Card and Jean De Florette star, was a "wild child" before rediscovering Christianity later in life. The 53-year-old says, "As soon as I entered the room the Holy Father said 'But that's St Augustine'." Depardieu's intention is now to conduct a reading of The Confessions in public, at Thagaste, which is the birthplace of the saint in present day Algeria.