Amazon Prime Video Sets Launch Date for Melanie Laurent’s ‘Freedom,’ Starring ‘Emily in Paris’ Actor Lucas Bravo; Unveils First Pics (EXCLUSIVE)
Amazon Prime Video has set the launch date and unveiled art for Mélanie Laurent’s upcoming heist romance “Freedom” (“Libre”) starring Lucas Bravo (“Emily in Paris”).
The movie, which will launch exclusively on Prime Video on Nov. 1 across more than 240 countries, reteams the streamer and the acclaimed actor-turned-filmmaker following “The Mad Women’s Ball” which world premiered at Toronto Film Festival in 2019.
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Based on a true story of a renowned French gangster of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, “Freedom” stars Bravo as Bruno Sulak, a highly charming criminal à la Arsène Lupin who orchestrated daring heists without firing a single shot. The film also charts Sulak’s cat-and-mouse game with George Moréas (Yvan Attal), a tenacious police commissioner, as well as his numerous escapes from prison and relationship with lover Annie, who is played by newcomer Léa Luce Busato.
Thomas Dubois, head of French originals at Amazon Studios, said working with Laurent was part of the streamer’s mandate to forge long-term bonds with talents and allow them to pursue ambitious projects. “Melanie Laurent was the first director to make a French language film for Prime Video in France, ‘The Mad Women’s Ball,’ and we were so proud to have kicked off our original productions with that film which also won an international Emmy Award for its star Lou de Laage,” said Dubois. “It set the tone for the type of quality productions that we want to do at Prime Video, and we were equally seduced by her idea to make a film about Sulak because it’s not an ordinary gangster story, it’s about a man who will go all the way to defend his freedom.”
“Sulak was a criminal but he wasn’t violent and there is some humility and softness emanating from this film that we rarely see in a movie about an outlaw,” Dubois continued. The executive said the film reflects Laurent’s ability to tell stories from a different point of view, and described it as a “prestige drama with a romantic dimension” through his love story with Annie, “who will make many sacrifices to accompany Sulak in his quest for freedom.”
Dubois also emphasized “the topnotch performance of Bravo, who delivers his first performance in a leading role.”
The strong cast is completed by Rasha Bukvic, (“Breathe”), Steve Tientcheu (“Aka”), David Murgia (“The Night of the 12th”), Léo Chalié (“Reign Supreme”) and Slimane Dazi (“Ourika”).
“Freedom” also reunites Laurent with her screenwriter on “The Mad Women’s Ball,” Chris Deslandes, and producer Alain Goldman, whose outfit is behind Marion Cotillard starrer “La Môme,” “The Round Up” and “An Officer and a Spy.” Laurent, who broke through in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” has since made a name for herself as an actor and a filmmaker, having made her English-language feature debut with the crime drama “Galveston” and directed several French films, including “Breathe” which played at Cannes’s Critics Week in 2014.
Prime Video will also launch this fall Jeremie Guez’s (“Bluebird”) crime movie “Tigres & Hyènes,” featuring a well-known French cast including Géraldine Nakache and Sofiane Zermani.
The streamer is also joining forces again with Eric Judor and Ramzy Bedia for the second season of “Comedy Class,” which Dubois touted as the “first comedy talent show.” “We were super happy with the viewing scores of the first season of ‘Comedy Class’ and we want to continue collaborating with Eric and Ramzy with whom we worked on ‘Medellín,’ and ‘Sentinelle,’ respectively,” Dubois continued.
In addition to these titles, Prime Video is also preparing to launch “Culte” (previously known as “Trash”), a mini-series inspired by the real-life events of “Loft Story,” the French adaptation of “Big Brother” which marked the country’s first reality show of this kind in 2001. “Culte” is penned by Matthieu Rumani and Nicolas Slomka who have just formed a creative partnership with Banijay Entertainment’s French label Screenline Productions.
Dubois highlighted Prime Video’s track record during the first half of 2024 with hit shows such as Clément Godart and Booba’s “Ourika” (“The Source”), whose second season is currently in development, along with youth-skewing documentaries such as “Squeezie: Merci Internet,” about the YouTube star Lucas Hauchard known as Squeezie.
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