Last week it was announced that French film director Luc Besson (well known for Léon, the Big Blue, Taxi and The Fifth Element) will be bringing the adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec to the big screen. The deal involves three films, of which the first will be released in 2009.
The fantastic adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec were created by French cartoonist, the multi-award-winning (including a number of wins at Angoulême) Jacques Tardi in 1976, with “Isabelle Et La Bête”, in which a pterodactyl egg is hatched in Paris in 1911 and the city is terrorized by a strange flying monster. It would only be the first freakish adversary that Adèle meets on her adventures: demons, ape men, mad scientists, mummies, two-headed dwarves and giant octopuses – it’s all in a days work for Adèle. Only last year, Tardi announced that he is going to take up the stories again, ten years after the last book was published.
(detail from the cover of “Le labyrinthe infernal”, an Adele Blanc-Sec adventure by Jaques Tardi, published by Casterman)
Although Besson acknowledges the fact that the extravagant and strange world of the comic was a main factor in sealing this deal, it is as yet uncertain whether the films will follow the stories in the books, or rather present totally new adventures inspired by the albums. In any case, this might be a good reason for a brave American (or British) publisher to take up these gems and make the available in the English language again.
February 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Jacques Tardi’s Adele is great, but hard to translate, and may be to adapt. Besson is great as a producer. To shoot it, I heard it might take some one special like young director Reza Benhadj to match that extravagant universe. Any infos ?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:32 am
It was a couple of years ago, a late evening in a seaside town south of Barcelona called Sitges. the annual film festival season was on so we decided to have a peek at the Retiro Theatre Billboard, one of the festival venues. Our attention was immediately caught by a black and red poster that looked as if it had been ripped off a wall back in the 1920′s and stuck on an otherwise all too uniform display of hollywood-style conventionality. It featured the name TENEBRAE, which seemed a promising title for a late night viewing and I still don’t know whether the copious servings of Navarran red wine had anything to do with it but I feel I have been bewitched. All I can say is if you can get your hands on this little treasure, watch out, cos it’s in short supply. Within roughly 40 minutes only, you’re taken through a half muted underworld of parisian 20′s mystery.. it almost seems you’re not actually watching a film but you’re taking part in it. The director Reza Benhadj takes you on the edge of the cliff and it’s up to you to decide whether you want to go further or step back. I unfortunately took the extra step and have been lost ever since. So if anyone sees this film or hears about anything else Reza Benhadj has been involved in, please do let me know!!! Rumour has it that French director Luc Besson is planning to work on a screen adaptation of Jacques Tardi’s adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec and that Reza Benhadj would be a natural choice for this venture… I cannot agree more. But I ask you: does anyone have anything more on this rumour? And what about Tenebrae? Where to next???? Mr Benhadj, if you’re listening, and if you’re even real, please think of what you have done to us! WHERE IS TENEBRAE????
January 14th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
If you listen to the podcast with Kim Thompson you recently linked to (http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/b.....ed-on-ccl/) you’ll hear that Fantagraphics will be picking this up later in 2010 (along with other interesting bits and bobs).
George