Former Studiocanal CEO Didier Lupfer Launches Company With Millennials-Skewing Projects (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy
·2 min read
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Didier Lupfer, the former CEO of Studiocanal, has launched the Paris-based production banner The Media Company with a lineup comprising high-concept films and series, including “The Quest of Fire” and “Front Row.”

The outfit is also developing about 10 feature films, including Russian helmer Michael Idov’s “Aspiration,” which is co-produced with Artem Vassiliev at Métrafilms, and thriller “Override,” directed by Dmitry Glukhovsky (“Tekst”).

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Lupfer said he was in advanced negotiations with a high-profile U.K. marketing agency to measure the projects’ potential for young adults and collaborate on developing content for specific niches. “The development phase of each project will be as long as it needs to ensure that we can deliver the right content and concepts,” said Lupfer.

“Override” turns on an Uber driver who has a nervous breakdown and spirals out of control on his last day.

“Aspiration” will mark the third feature film of Idov, who co-wrote Kirill Serebrennikov Cannes competition title “Leto.” The film will revolve around the biggest rock band in the world, who arrive in a bucolic farmhouse to record a new album when trouble begins.

The Media Company’s roster of series include “The Quest of Fire,” a six-part series freely inspired by Joseph Henri Honoré Boex’s” book “The Quest of Fire” and takes place in 100,000 BC in Europe. “It’s a fascinated project and we already have several partners interested,” said Lupfer.

“Front Row” is a drama series following a young influencer who enters the fashion world. Delphine De-Canecaude will direct the series, which will unfold in Paris, Milan and London. Lupfer said the author was inspired by a young influencer who designed Lady Gaga’s dress at the Super Bowl.

Lupfer stepped down from Studiocanal in 2019 after running the company for three years. He was previously an independent producer of such films as “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life” and Yann Samuell’s “War of the Buttons,” and co-founded the movie/TV division of the videogame company Ubisoft, which produced “Assassin’s Creed” and the toon TV franchise “Raving Rabbids,” among other titles.

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