Nicolas Bedos, the French writer-director behind the Cannes-premiering “La Belle Epoque,” is set to direct “Mascarade,” a French Riviera-set drama-comedy with Isabelle Adjani, Pierre Niney and Francois Cluzet.
The ambitious film boasts a significant budget of €14 million ($17 million) and is bring produced by Francois Kraus and Denis Pineau-Valencienne at Les Films du Kiosque, and Pathé. Marine Vacth (“DNA”), Emmanuelle Devos (“Read My Lips”) and Laura Morante (“Cherry on the Cake”) complete the cast. Bedos, a former satirical commentator on a popular weekly talk show who is known for writing sharp-minded original scripts, described “Mascarade” as a potent mix of “robberies, crimes and passion.” The plot will be unveiled at a later stage.
Pathe is also handling international sales on “Mascarade” and will be distributing the film with Orange Studio in France. Orange Studio is also co-producing with TF1 Films Production, with the participation of Canal Plus, TF1 and TMC.
Filming will kick off June 8 on the French Riviera and will then move on to the Ile de France region surrounding Paris.
“Mascarade” reteams Bedos with Les Films du Kiosque and Pathé, which had joined forces on “La Belle Epoque,” a high-concept romantic comedy described as Charlie Kaufman-esque with Daniel Auteuil, Guillaume Canet, Dora Tillier and Fanny Ardant. The movie earned stellar reviews at Cannes, where it world premiered out of competition in 2019, and went on to play at Toronto before winning three Cesar Awards. Pathé sold “La Belle Epoque” around the world. An English-language remake is being developed.
Bedos is also reuniting with key crew members who worked on “La Belle Epoque,” notably set designer Stéphane Rozenbaum, and the costume designer Emmanuelle Youchnovski.
“Mascarade” is Bedos’s fourth directorial outing. The helmer is rolling off the shoot of “OSS 117: From Africa With Love,” the third opus of the spy comedy franchise with Jean Dujardin and Niney. Bedos made his feature debut with “Mr & Mme Adelman,” a decade-spanning romance in which he starred alongside Tillier.