Fred Cavayé shooting Les Misérables
- Vincent Lindon, Tahar Rahim, Camille Cottin, Benjamin Lavernhe and Noémie Merlant are leading the cast of this Eskwad and Curiosa Films production sold by StudioCanal
Thursday 17 July saw filming kick off on a new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s great classic, Les Misérables. After Tom Hooper (2012), Bille August (1998), Claude Lelouch (1995), Robert Hossein (1982), Jean-Paul Le Chanois (1958) and Lewis Milestone (1952), to name but a few directors, it’s now Fred Cavayé’s turn to tackle this literary megalith.
Les Misérables will be the 8th feature film by the director who was revealed via Anything For Her [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (boasting 623,000 admissions in France and nominated for the Best First Film César in 2009) and whose back catalogue primarily includes Point Blank [+see also:
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film profile] (attracting 973,000 viewers in France by the close of 2010), Penny Pincher! [+see also:
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film profile] (earning 2.9 million admissions in 2016) and Nothing to Hide [+see also:
film review
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interview: Fred Cavayé
film profile] (drawing in 1.63 million viewers in 2018).
Cavayé has pulled together an XXL cast, including Vincent Lindon (awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor last year in Venice via The Quiet Son [+see also:
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interview: Delphine and Muriel Coulin
film profile] and set to be seen in Un bon petit soldat next year), Tahar Rahim (recently nominated for a César thanks to Monsieur Aznavour [+see also:
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film profile] and hitting French cinemas from 20 August in Alpha [+see also:
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film profile]) and Camille Cottin (recently acclaimed in Three Friends [+see also:
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film profile] and in Karlovy Vary via Out of Love [+see also:
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interview: Nathan Ambrosioni
film profile]), alongside Benjamin Lavernhe (recently nominated for a César via Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion [+see also:
film review
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interview: Frédéric Tellier
film profile] and The Marching Band [+see also:
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interview: Emmanuel Courcol
film profile]) and Noémie Merlant (awarded a César for The Innocent [+see also:
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film profile] and soon to be seen in Eleonora Duse), Vassili Schneider (The Count of Monte-Cristo [+see also:
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film profile] and Colours of Time [+see also:
film review
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interview: Cédric Klapisch
film profile]), Megan Northam (nominated for this year’s Best Acting Revelation César and Lumière trophies via Rabia [+see also:
film review
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interview: Mareike Engelhardt
film profile], well-received in Cannes thanks to Urchin [+see also:
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film profile]), Marie Colomb (nominated for the 2023 Best Supporting Role Goya via The Beasts [+see also:
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interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
film profile]) and Louis Peres (For Night Will Come [+see also:
film review
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interview: Céline Rouzet
film profile]).
Written by the director, this story revolves around Jean Valjean (Vincent Lindon), a convict who has escaped prison after serving 16 years for stealing a loaf of bread and who is now devoting himself to doing good. He seeks redemption by reinventing himself as a respected dignitary under a new identity. He promises Fantine (Noémie Merlant), a dying factory worker, to rescue and protect her daughter Cosette (Megan Northam) who is being exploited and mistreated by the deceitful innkeeper family, the Thénardiers (Camille Cottin and Benjamin Lavernhe). Valjean raises Cosette as his own, but he is relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert (Tahar Rahim). Amidst the social unrest shaking France to the core, the fates of Valjean, Cosette, her lover Marius (Vassili Schneider), and Javert become intertwined in a turbulent, revolutionary Paris. Through struggles, sacrifices, and a deep yearning for justice, Valjean strives to complete his journey of redemption and offer Cosette a future of love and freedom.
Les Misérables is being produced by Richard Grandpierre on behalf of Eskwad and by Olivier Delbosc for Curiosa Films, in co-production with StudioCanal (who will distribute the film in French cinemas on 11 November 2026) and TF1 Films Production. Likewise pre-purchased by Canal+ and Netflix, the film will be shot over 17 weeks in Bordeaux, Bry-sur-Marne and Paris, with Denis Rouden heading up photography.
(Translated from French)
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