A prequel film to 'Les Misérables' on Jean Valjean is in the works
A movie on the origin story of Jean Valjean, the hero in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, is in the works.
Variety reported the upcoming title will feature Frenc actor Gregory Gadebois as Valjean in the Éric Besnard-directed picture.
Valjean will chronicle the Les Misérables protagonist's journey from hardened Prisoner 24601 to the heroic Monsieur La Maire "after a pivotal encounter with a benevolent bishop," producer Sabine Chemaly told the entertainment outlet.
"As with Besnard's previous films, such as Delicieux or Louise Violet, Valjean has a humanistic dimension and deals with redemption," she said.
After he is released from prison, Valjean becomes jaded. He meets a bishop who treats him with kindness despite Valjean robbing him. This act causes him to question his choices and see that there is another path.
"The film follows the steps that lead to Jean Valjean to become the man he was always meant to be, a good man who wants to help others," Chemaly said.
Valjean began filming on Jan. 14 in Southern France and has a budget of 7 million euros (P421 million).
Apart from Gadebois, Bernard Campan, Isabelle Carré, and Alexandra Lamy also star in the film.
Les Misérables is a French epic historical novel by Victor Hugo first published in 1862. Several film adaptations and musicals have been made around the book. One of the most recent adaptations was the 2012 film of the musical, starring Hugh Jackman as Valjean, Russel Crowe as Javert, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, and Amanda Seyfried as Cosette.
The 2012 film won three awards from the 85th Academy Awards.