Oscar-winning British actor Jeremy Irons will play Father Faria, the Count of Monte Cristo’s fellow prisoner, in the TV series adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas and co-produced by France Télévisions and the Mediawan group, it was announced on Monday .
The launch of this European series in 8 episodes of 52 minutes was announced in October. It is produced by the French public group France Télévisions, Rai (Italy) and two Mediawan companies, Palomar (Italy) and DEMD Productions (France).
Its director is the Danish Bille August, Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988 and 1992, and the title role is played by the British Sam Claflin (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Fountain of Youth”, “Hunger Games”, “Peaky Blinders”…). Frenchwoman Ana Girardot is also part of the cast.
Many adaptations
Published from 1844, “The Count of Monte Cristo” tells the story of Edmond Dantès, unjustly imprisoned and who takes revenge after escaping and becoming extremely wealthy thanks to a treasure.
This novel has been the subject of numerous adaptations for cinema and television, including one in 1998 for TF1, directed by Josée Dayan and with Gérard Depardieu in the title role.
At the movie theater, Pierre Niney must in turn play the Count of Monte Cristo in a film scheduled for release at the end of 2024.