8.8 million admissions: 50 years later, this ultra-iconic film will have a remake with an international star

This is sure to be one of the most scrutinized feature films of 2024! The new reading of the ultra-cult film Emanuel is getting closer. This project, taken from Emmanuel Arsani’s sulphurous novel, presents a new vision of this work.

Audrey Divan is directing and writing the screenplay, in collaboration with Rebecca Zlotowski. Filming began 10 weeks ago, as shown in one of the rare images revealed so far.

As announced, it is Noemi Merlant (Portrait of a Girl on Fire, Innocent…) who will headline the film, playing the role of Léa Seydoux, originally announced at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

Thanks to a new behind-the-scenes photo shared by Naomi Watts on her Instagram story, we discover that the actress will also be in the cast of the film. His role has not yet been specified.

This is not the first time that we find Naomi Watts in the credits of a French film that is produced internationally. For reference, she starred in Anne Fontaine’s The Perfect Mothers in 2013 alongside Robin Wright.

Noemie Merlant has many successes and great roles: we saw her in Louis Garrel’s L’Innocent, a wonderful comic score (and Cesar to boot), and in 2023, starring Cate Blanchett, in The American. Todd Field’s film Tár, but also André Techiné’s Les Ames Noirs (video interview above), currently broadcast on Canal+ / myCANAL.

More recently, he was part of the Hard Year Trio with Pio Marmai and Jonathan Cohen.

Noemi Merlant talks about all of these films in the podcast interview below:

“I feel there is risk taking, but at the same time, I like to take risks. That’s pretty much what I prefer. (…) from this woman’s point of view, connecting with her desire, sexuality, fantasies… that interests me. There are risks, but very exciting and liberatingNoemi Merlant told us about Emmanuel in our interview last April.

near DeadlineAudrey Dewan shared some details about the filming, which took place in Hong Kong. “Noemi Merlant is a pure artistic choice, an obvious choice like Annamaria Bartholomew in my previous film. (event, editor’s note)“.

and added: “I love Léa Seydoux, I want to make a movie with her one day. But for me, it was not the character I imagined. From Portrayal of a Girl on Fire to Tara, I never cease to be seduced by the power of Noemi Merlant’s acting.

She has the authority and allure needed for this role. Noème redefines the French woman. His attitude, his smile, that hint of cockiness…I’m also sensitive to the idea of ​​finding an intelligent partner to create this character with by making this choice.

This film requires a lot of investment and mutual trust. I know I found the right personAudrey Divan concludes.

Banned for under-16s at the time of its release, the original 1974 film followed Emmanuelle, a young woman who lives freely with her husband Jean. During a trip that takes her to Bangkok to join her husband, Emmanuel meets two men on a plane and enjoys a brief fling.

During his stay, he meets two young girls, Marie-Ange and Bi, with whom he has an affair. Jean, in turn, decides to throw Emanuela into the arms of a promiscuous sixty-year-old…

Emmanuelle’s 1974 version became a true phenomenon in cinemas at the time, attracting more than 8.8 million viewers. The release date of this new version of the Emmanuelle Audrey sofa is not yet known.