Indiana Jones, Man vs Wild, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lara Croft… There are almost every reference to the adventure comedy Jack Mimoun thinks “like an advent calendar”. I will tell you more!
What is it about?
Two years after surviving alone on the hostile island of Val Verde, Jack Mimoon has become an adventure star. A book about his experiences is a bestseller and his TV show is breaking audience records. He is then approached by the mysterious Orel Diaz, who brings Jack Mimoun back to Val Verde to train him in search of the legendary sword of the pirate La Bouze. Accompanied by Bruno Kezak, Jack’s ambitious but reckless manager, and Jean-Marc Basteau, a mercenary, our adventurers will embark on an incredible treasure hunt in the jungle of the Thousand Danger Islands.
With references to pop culture figures and films, Jack Mimoon and Val Verde’s mysteries should appeal to the generation born in the 80s, or in any case raised in 80s culture, from Indiana Jones to Predator. “I like to say that this script is written a bit like an Advent calendarThe co-writer and co-director of the film, Malik Bentalha, explained to us. There are always little clues when you look. Even in the title. Val Verde is a fictional town created by screenwriter Stephen de Souza. He wrote Commando, Predator… When they needed to name a fictional country or island, they said Val Verde.”
In detail, what are the references that inspired Malik Bentalha and his co-authors? responsive elements.
The first unmissable reference is obviously Indiana Jones. This film became the spark of the project. “I saw the whole series of Indiana Jones again on TV and enjoyed it as much as I did when I was young. I then wondered if we had such an adventurous hero in France and, with Belmondo and Jean Dujardin as OSS 117, I realized we didn’t.Malik Bentalha details.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
“In the US they have Indy, Benjamin Gates, the Goonies or Jumanji!”he continues “So I started looking for partners who could follow me in this somewhat crazy project – Eric and Nicolas Altmeier and Pathe said Banco – and quickly found a name that immediately made me smile: Jack Mimoun. Then we thought about casting with desire. Surrounding myself with people I admire: Benoit Magimel , Jérôme Comand, Josephine Jap, Francois Damian… My ambition was to make the audience dream that they could laugh and escape during the film..”
My ambition was to make the audience dream, entertain and escape for the duration of the film.
The character’s look is of course very much inspired by Harrison Ford, but also by “all those 1930s soap operas” that inspired the look of Indiana Jones. “With Clark Gable, there’s a very special Envoy, Journey to the Center of the Earth too… full of inspiration. Behind Indiana Jones is the great costume designer, Deborah Nadulman..”
and add: “Indiana Jones is a bit like that movie that our parents used to ban us from. When we got there… monkey brain, my heart hurts! True, it remains with growth: at first we are shocked. Whenever we talk about Indiana Jones, there are these flashes that come back“, emphasizes Malik Bentalha.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Florent Bernard and Tristan Shulman co-wrote the film.The Traveling Bibles of American Cineman” according to Malik Bentalha.”They would talk to me about Clark Gable, as well as Benjamin Gates or Harrison Ford. For my part, I saw and re-watched The Man from Rio and then of course brought my personal touch… My idea was also that Jack Mimoon grows as the story progresses, feeding on those who accompany him on his adventures.“.
“As soon as I got the inspiration, we talked about it with Florent and Tristan, then we tried it. The writing of the script began at the end of 2017, keeping a kind of small journal, in which I noted all kinds of references to characters, costumes: a trip to the center of the earth, under the largest tent in the world, the secret of the Incas, the parade of death“, he continues.
From Indiana Jones to Pirates of the Caribbean…
The film’s music also evokes Spielberg, in the style of John Williams or Hans Zimmer. Malik Bentalha wrote while listening to these composers in his head, especially the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. “Music, in my opinion, is a crucial element of a film’s narrative! I really wanted to find an 80s pop movie idea: for the soundtrack, for the poster (referring to Drew Struzan)... “
Another pop culture icon, Lara Croft. “He was one of the inspirations. We wanted to make Aurel Diaz (Josephine Jaffe) a real adventurer. A real lover of adventure, a supporter of wonderful values, truly reckless, brave. We didn’t want to do the cliché of an actor breaking a nail in the jungle. We wanted to instill that calling in little girls, whether they wanted to be explorers or adventurers.“Kathleen Turner also worked as a model in the movie ‘The Hunt for the Green Diamond.’
Finally, the last essential hint, an adventure hint like Survivor, Koh Lanta or Man vs Wild. “To tell the truth, I also drew with Mike Horn watching one of his lectures at Rex, read his books, watched Bear Grylls shows, from which I was inspired by the snake scene at the beginning. movie!“
Jack Mimoun and the Mysteries of Val Verde by Malik Bentalha and Ludovic Colbeau-Justin with Malik Bentalha, Josephine Japi, Jérôme Commander, Francois Damien and Benoit Magimel showing from Wednesday, October 12, 2022.
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.
