Directed by Frank Gastambide, Taxi 5 airs tonight on TF1. But why are Sammy Nasser and Frederic Diefenthal, the heroes of the saga so far, not in this fifth part?
In 1998, the general public discovered the taxi, which quickly became a phenomenon! Sammy Nasser and Frederic Diefenthal make an attractive duo. We had Daniel, the taxi driver, and Emilien, the clumsy police officer. Based on the success of this action comedy, the two actors returned for three more films that were released between 2000 and 2007.
Twelve years later, in 2019, the fifth opus is born, but without its two emblematic artists! Taxi 5 (airing tonight on TF1) gives way to a new duo: Sylvain Marot (Frank Gastambide), a super Parisian cop transferred to Marseille, and Eddie McLuff (Malik Bentalha), the city’s worst VTC driver, also Daniel’s nephew.
Sam Nasser fired by Luc Besson?
Initially, actor, director and screenwriter Frank Gastambide wrote a rather important role for Sammy Naker. Daniel should appear at the end of the movie to help our two heroes fight the gang of Italians. But Luc Besson and other producers don’t see it that way. They want to emphasize the characters Frank Gastambid and Malik Bentalha and limit Naceri’s performance to a simple cameo. Believing that he deserves better than a wink, Daniel’s translator flatly refuses to appear in this new installment.
“With all due respect to my fans, I couldn’t get this much just to sell their movie when I wanted to give more. Don’t think that my absence from this movie is the result of the problem that I was. At least I expect some respect after thirty years of my cinema.” justified Sammy Nasser on his Twitter.
As for Frank Gastambide, he presents a different version of the facts. For the director of Kaira, the actor, who has made a lot of noise about him in various news outlets, would justify his refusal to do an ambitious film in Russia.
I DO NOT CARE !
At the same time, when the producer asks him to very briefly reprise the character of Emilien, Frederic Diefenthal does not go too far and express his disinterest in the project. He believes that Emilien’s presence without Daniel makes no sense. “I don’t care! And I say this without bitterness” he told our TVMag colleagues. “And then it’s a real satisfaction that it’s done without me: it sticks to my skin and I need to get rid of it.”
The only survivors from the previous films: Bernard Farce and Edouard Montute. Taxi 5 reached 3.7 million visits during its theatrical release. A valid score, but much lower than its predecessors: 6.5 million Taxi10.3 taxi for 2, 6.1 taxi for 3 and 4.6 taxi for 4.
Fun facts about Frank Gastambide
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
