5 years after its release, this comic book phenomenon reveals the casting of its film adaptation and there are some surprises… including Catherine Deneuve!

Can’t miss a wink! The mythic interpretation of Peau d’âne, in 1970, Catherine Deneuve will soon star in a film with a title that surely reminds us of Jacques Deme’s famous musical feature film: Peau d’homme!

Peau d’homme was originally a comics phenomenon, selling over 100,000 copies and winning awards everywhere it appeared. It will soon be turned into a film by Bernadette director and screenwriter Lea Domenach, with whom Catherine Deneuve has already shot.

As our colleagues at Satellifacts report, Catherine Deneuve will be in the cast of the film, which is scheduled to shoot next September. The film will also see the return of singer Pommy (Claire Pommett) to the cinema. Singer Eddie De Preto is also known. The latter recently starred in Belgian Olivier Pairu’s second feature film Vigilante. Karin Viard and Laurent Stoker complete the cast of this musical project.

Remember that Catherine Deneuve will be the president of César’s 50th ceremony next February.

A musical comedy that questions gender

Director and screenwriter Leah Domenach told us about starting work on the project in October 2023 during a podcast interview: “I start writing again with the screenwriter Clemens Dargent. This is an adaptation of the comic, Peau d’homme, which was quite successful a few years ago, written and drawn by Hubert and Zanzim. It will be a musical. As for Bernadette, it’s a bit of a gamble!

and added: “It’s quite a political comic, something about gender, the concept of the individual, the rise of religious fascism. This is the next big project.”

This comic has been a huge success since its release in 2020: over 100,000 copies were sold a year after its release, and above all, this comic, signed by the late Hubert and Zanzim, has received an avalanche of awards. This work has a unique awareness and aura.

Published by Glenat, this comic took on the challenge of telling a rather unusual story about gender, patriarchy and giving it a political message. Peau d’homme sets its plot in Renaissance Italy. We follow Bianca, a young lady from a good family, of marriageable age. His parents see him as the groom of their choice: Giovanni, a rich merchant, young and pleasant. The marriage seems to be under the best auspices even if Bianca can’t hide her disappointment at marrying a man she knows nothing about. But this was without knowing the secret that had been kept and passed down to the women of his family for generations: “Man Skin”!

Dressing him, Bianca becomes Lorenzo and enjoys all the attributes of a young man of astonishing beauty. Now she can visit the world of men incognito and meet her fiancé in his natural environment. But in her male skin, Bianca breaks free from the limits imposed on women and discovers love and sexuality.

“Renaissance morality then acts as a mirror for our century and raises several questions: Why should women have a different sexuality than men? Why should their pleasure and freedom be subjected to contempt and coercion? Finally, how can morality be an instrument of domination that is both rigid and unconscious? We can read it on the website of its publisher Glénat.

It questions our relationship with gender, sexuality, but not only…

“Through a lively and sophisticated tale reminiscent of a Billy Wilder comedy, Hubert and Zanzim brilliantly question our relationship to gender and sexuality…but not only that. Mixing religion and sex, morality and humor, nobility and sincerity, Peau d’homme invites us both to the liberation of morality and to the mad and passionate pursuit of love.The film Peau d’homme is produced by Karé Productions.

Note that one adaptation may overshadow the other, as the play releases on January 23, starring Lor Kalam.

Peau d’homme will be performed at the Théâtre Montparnasse in Paris, starring Laure Callam, Emmanuel Riviere, Valentin Rolland, Samira Sedira, Clement Simune, Aurore Streich, Adrienne Urso, Régis Vallée and Vincent Vane. Adapted and directed by Lena Breban, with lyrics by Ben Mazue and choreography by Leila Ka.