Dog 51: Which world-famous director should have played the role that Romain Duris eventually played?

Dog 51 and his XXL cast – made up of some of the most in-demand actors and actresses of the moment – could have had a slightly different cast than what you see in cinemas now.

Around Gilles Lelouch and Adele Exarchopoulos, we find, for example, Louis Garrel, Artus, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi or even Thomas Bangalter, half of Daft Punk.

Romain Duris also plays an important role as Theo Rimarval. But did you know that a different actor was originally announced? If we go by the press release that announced the start of filming, Quebec actor and director Xavier Dolan was originally supposed to be a part of the project.

“Surprise! Xavier Dolan returns as an actor in France in this super ambitious film, Cédric Jimenez! Gilles Lelouch and Adele Exarchopoulos also star“, we noted in August 2024

An announcement that was an event, as Xavier Dolan’s last role in a French film dates back to Xavier Gianol’s Lost Illusions, which was released in October 2021. He plays the role of Nathan D’Anastasia.

The reason for this withdrawal is not given. This may be due to unavailability, or what is also called a “calendar conflict”. Because Xavier Dolan also starred in another French film during the same period: L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche.

One project can hide another

Directed by Stéphane Demostier, this film is inspired by real events and tells the story of an architect who was commissioned to design the arch of La Défense. Xavier Dolan plays the role of a high-ranking French official named Jean-Louis Soubillon in the film.

The story begins in 1983. Francois Mitterrand decided to launch an international architectural competition for the flagship project of his presidency: the Grande Arche de la Défense, on the axis of the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe! To everyone’s surprise, the Danish architect Otto von Spreckelsen won the competition. At night, this 53-year-old man, unknown in France, arrived in Paris, where he was brought to the head of this pharaonic project. And if an architect sets out to build the Grand Arch as he envisions it, his ideas will very quickly come up against the complexity of reality and the prejudices of politics.

L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche is released on November 5th. Dog 51 is currently in theaters.