![]() Since its creation, Astérix has become a prominent figure in French-Belgian culture, and has managed to acquire fame on an international level, a rare occurrence for a French-Belgian comic character. He is helped in his adventures by Getafix, the druid of the village who holds the secret of a Super Strength-inducing potion, and most importantly his best friend Obelix, a menhir carver who fell in a cauldron of the aforementioned potion when he was a child, making the effects permanent on him. Said village is the home of Astérix, who frequently goes on all kinds of adventures, often in order to foil the plans of the Romans. One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. The series' growing success in Pilote got it published into albums soon after. The company’s roster also includes Pedro Almódovar’s “Madre Paralelas,” which recently wrapped shooting.Astérix is a character created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo in 1959 for the French comic magazine Pilote. It will mark the helmer’s follow-up to “La Belle Epoque” which had world premiered at Cannes. The company is also getting ready to start shooting Nicolas Bedos’ “Mascarade,” a French Riviera-set drama-comedy with Isabelle Adjani, Pierre Niney and Francois Cluzet. Pathe is attending Cannes with Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta,” which will be released in the U.S. The film got picked up in key territories such as Spain (Vertigo), Italy (Eagle), Russia (Exponenta), Poland (M2), Latin America (BF), Israel (Redcape) and the Baltics (Acme). Pathé Films has also scored a raft of sales on the family-friendly adventure film “King” following a presentation of the promo reel during the pre-Cannes virtual market. “The Three Musketeers,” meanwhile, which is produced by Dimitri Rassam at Mediawan-owned Chapter 2, has pre-sold to Notorious in Italy, Deaplaneta in Spain and Constantin in Germany. “The scale of the film, on top of its original and funny script have boosted the appeal of this IP,” said Safaee. ![]() Netflix has also acquired a string of territories. It was previously acquired by AQS, Melusa, BTV, Kinoswiat, Blitz, Vertigo for Eastern European territories, and Unicorn for Russia. The movie has pre-sold to Notorious for Italy and Spain, and Leonine for Germany. “Astérix & Obelix” is currently shooting on an studio set near Paris and is being produced by Alain Attal at Tresor Films and Yohan Baiada at Les Enfants Terribles. “It’s a big investment that we’re able to handle thanks to strong pre-sales, notably because these are all films which have an international appeal,” Safaee said, and added: “‘Notre Dame on Fire,’ ‘Asterix & Obelix, the Middle Kingdom’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’ are all franchises that are not only French IPs but also international ones.” Pathé Films has financed between 25% and 40% of these movies’ budgets and holds French distribution and international sales rights to them. Considering France’s average budget is well under $10 million, the price tags of pics like “Asterix & Obelix, The Middle Kingdom” and “The Three Musketeers” are huge. Safaee said the company’s current slate represents a cumulated investment €200 million ($237 million). ![]() One of France’s oldest and most venerable French film studios, Pathé also owns the country’s biggest cinema chain. “We’re coming out of a difficult period during which many people were skeptical or anxious about the future of theatrical, but at Pathe we never had doubt because cinema has experienced crisis over the years and has also managed to reinvent itself and thrive in the face of adversity,” said Safaee. It’s also shooting this year a pair of big-budget films: “Asterix & Obelix, The Middle Kingdom,” Guillaume Canet’s $70 million adventure comedy with Gilles Lellouche, Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel and Canet and “The Three Musketeers,” a €60 million ($73 million) two-part adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic French masterpiece that will star François Civil, Eva Green and Cassel. The company’s roster includes Martin Bourboulon’s “Eiffel” with Romain Duris and Emma Mackey slated for August 2021, and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Notre Dame on Fire,” scheduled for April 2022. “Within the last two years we have assembled the biggest lineup of films we’ve ever had,” noted Safaee. In spite of the pandemic, Pathe has never been busier and more ambitious. “We’re interested by this period because that’s when De Gaulle became the De Gaulle we know, a national hero, and we will explore his successes, setbacks, turmoils, his relationship with Churchill, and his actions to reconquer France through French colonies during those years,” said Pathé Films CEO Ardavan Safaee. ![]()
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