French producer Wassim Beji and SND have acquired the screen adaptation rights to iconic French detective novels “Fantomas”.
Created in 1911 by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, Fantomas is one of France’s most popular fictional characters and villains. He’s a criminal genius and particularly elusive thief and assassin who is also a master of disguise, ruthless and merciless.
Though he draws comparisons to that other popular French gentleman thief character Arsene Lupin introduced years before, Fantomas is a darker beast – a sociopath who has no problem with murder and enjoys killing in a sadistic fashion and often creative ways.
The property was first adapted to screen in 1913 before becoming a famed crime comedy trilogy starting in 1964 and a TV series in 1980.
The new take will reportedly mark a return to the dark-edged roots of the original property and is said to be one of the most ambitious projects being currently developed out of France.
Source: Variety
