Roschdy Zem, ‘Fauda’ Actor Laëtitia Eïdo Star in Action Thriller ‘Fatum’ Directed by Florent-Emilio Siri, Scored by Alexandre Desplat (EXCLUSIVE)
Cesar-winning French actor Roschdy Zem (“Days of Glory”) and “Fauda” star Laëtitia Eïdo are co-starring in “Fatum,” a timely action film directed by Florent-Emilio Siri (“Hostage”) and scored by Oscar-winning Alexandre Desplat.
“Fatum,” which started filming on July 4 in Morocco, is produced by Mathias Rubin at Récifilms (“November,” “Möbius”). Orange Studio is co-producing and has French distribution rights, as well as handles international sales. The film is also co-produced by France 2 Cinéma which pre-bought it along with Canal+, Disney+ and Palatine Etoile 21.
More from Variety
Zem, one of France’s most bankable actors who previously won a Cannes prize with “Days of Glory” and recently won a Cesar Award with “Oh Mercy!” stars in “Fatum” as Elyas, a former Special Forces soldier who has become solitary and paranoid since serving Afghanistan. Elyas is recruited to provide the security for Amina (Eido) and her daughter Nour who fled the Emirates and found refuge in a French castle. When a commando tracks down Amina and Nour, Elyas once again becomes the fearless soldier he was on the frontlines to rescue the pair.
The cast is completed by Jeanne Michel, Sherwan Haji (“Boy from Heaven”), Nabil Elouahabi (“Zero Dark Thirty”) and Dimitri Storoge (“The Takedown”). Siri had the original idea for the film and co-wrote the script with Nicolas Laquerrière (“All The Way Up”).
Besides Desplat, the film’s stellar key crew includes Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci (“Hostage,” “Transporter 3”) with whom Siri had worked on his Claude Francois biopic “Cloclo” and thriller “Intimate Enemies;” costume designer Mimi Lempicka (“See You Up There”); set designer Maamar Ech-Cheikh (“OSS 117“); and stunt supervisors Jérôme Gaspard (“Lost Bullet“) and Stéphane Boulay (“November”). Thomas Berthon-Fischman is executive producer on the film.
Rubin said “Fatum” was a passion project for Siri who developed it for nearly two years. “It’s rare to be lucky enough to produce action films that venture off the beaten path, in terms of cinematic style and popular ambition.” Rubin added that “the success of ‘November’ and ‘Boite Noire’ have incited (them) to push that door a bit more.”
“Fatum” marks Siri’s seventh feature. He previously directed three action movies, “The Nest” and “Intimate Enemies,” both of which star Benoit Magimel, on top of “Hostage” with Bruce Willis.
Siri’s biggest success to date is “Cloclo” which starred Jérémie Renier as French crooner Claude Francois. The film was a B.O. hit, selling more than 1.8 million tickets in France.
Speaking about “Fatum,” Siri said the core idea for the project came to him “after listening to the testimonies and stories about upper class women in the Middle East fleeing their countries with their daughters to free themselves from their powerful husbands.”
The director said he wanted to direct a “great action film aimed at wide audiences and in which emotion and action go hand in hand.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
