Rolling off the smashing success of “Lupin,” Netflix and French star Omar Sy have entered a multi-year feature film deal. It’s the streamer’s first deal with a French talent or filmmaker.
The partnership will see Sy’s Paris and L.A. based production company develop original films for Netflix, with Sy starring in and acting as executive producer on the projects.
“I have experienced Netflix’s collaboration with artists and their passion to bring unique and diverse stories to homes all over the world,” said Sy.
Sy added that he was “happy to have the opportunity to extend the relationship and look forward to this next step of our journey together.” Sy broke through with Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s hit comedy “Intouchables” a decade ago, which marked his first leading role after many years in acting.
But it’s only with “Lupin” that Sy reached international fame. Sy stars in “Lupin” as Assane Diop, a character inspired by the French story of thief Arsène Lupin. Created by George Kay, with the first three episodes having been directed by Louis Leterrier, “Lupin” ranks one of Netflix’s most popular series to date.
Gaelle Mareschi, a well-respected film veteran who previously worked at Kinology (“Annette”) and joined Netflix over a year ago as head of film for the EMEA region, said the streamer was “excited to now expand our partnership further to bring his creative vision to our global audiences” after working closely with him for a number of years.
“We look forward to working together with Omar and his team as he grows as a producer and brings more unique stories and voices to Netflix,” said Mareschi, who has always worked closely with filmmakers through her tenure at Kinology and at EuropaCorp before that.
Sy is also partnering again with his “Lupin” helmer, Leterrier, on his upcoming action comedy film “Tour de Force,” co-starring Laurent Lafitte and launching on Netflix globally in 2022.
Netflix’s pact with Sy underscores the level of trust that the streamer has achieved within France’s creative community. Since launching in France in September 2014, Netflix has become the country’s number one streaming service and has forged ties with some of the country’s top local producers, filmmakers and studios, delivering some hit shows such as “The Hook Up Plan,” “Family Business,”and the documentary series “Who Killed Little Gregory?,” among others.
Although the streamer’s focus remains on scripted series, Netflix has also been building a slate film originals with mainstream appeal, including Dany Boon’s “8, rue de l’Humanité” which was produced by Pathé and will be launched on the service on Oct. 20.
Sy is represented by CAA, which brokered the Netflix deal on his behalf. Sy is also represented by Adequat in France.
Source: Read Full Article